Singing the same tune of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, the Mukin-led Bangladesh Jatiya Party has suggested forming a polls-time “supporting” government and deploying army troops with magisterial power for holding the next parliamentary election in a free and fair manner.
The party put forward the suggestion during a dialogue with Election Commission officials in the commission’s office at Agargoan in Dhaka on Sunday.
The party’s acting chairman MA Mukin and 11 other members of it attended the dialogue organised as part of the commission’s action plan for the polls slated for late 2018 or early 2019.
Addressing the dialogue, Mukin suggested dissolving the current parliament before the polls and forming an all-party government involving representatives from political parties registered with the Election Commission.
The army need to be deployed three months before the election and should remain deployed for one more month after the polls to avert possible post-election violence, he added.
He also proposed the commission hear allegations of the all participating parties synchronically at a same platform and ban processions and rallies before the polls.
Its other recommendations include holding the election in different divisions on different dates, installing CCTVs at every polling station, and incorporating the “No Vote” option in ballot papers.
Disagreeing on the notion of army deployment, another party, Oikkoboddo Nagorik Andolon said, however, that Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and law enforcement agencies could be able to tackle possible untoward situations during the election
Deploying army will not be a judicious decision, the party’s acting president Jahanara Begum told a similar dialogue in the morning.
The party suggested the commission demarcate the electoral areas taking stock of the number of voters and the range of an administrative area.
It also opined that religion-based political parties should not be allowed to contest the election.
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