Polls schedules revised, polling dates unchanged

The Election Commission on Sunday revised the schedules for both the national and the upazila elections, keeping the polling dates unchanged. Inside a week of the announcement of the elections schedules, the commission revised the dates for nomination paper submission, scrutiny of the papers and withdrawal of candidature.
According to the new schedules, the submission of nomination papers for both the national and upazila polls will close on November 20, instead of the earlier November 13. ‘November 20 is the last date for the submission of nomination papers for both the parliamentary and upazila elections,’ the secretary to the EC secretariat, M Humayun Kabir, said at a news briefing. He said the nomination papers for the national polls would be examined during November 23–24 and candidatures could be withdrawn by November 29. Nomination papers for the upazila polls will be examined during November 25–27 and candidatures can be withdrawn by December 3, he said. ‘The polling dates for both the elections remain unchanged — the parliamentary polls on December 18 and the upazila polls on December 28,’ he said.
Asked what promoted the commission to revise the schedules, he said ‘We have revised the schedules at the suggestions of returning officers and request by the candidates.’ The officials concerned, however, told New Age the commission had to revise the polls schedules as it has failed to complete the registration of political parties. Although the commission was scheduled to wind up registration process today, the date for the completion of the process might be extended further, they said. In reply to a query as to whether the commission would defer polls dates, he said, ‘There is no possibility of deferral of any of the polls.’

Soon after the High Court on November 2 had dismissed the writ petitions filed challenging the gazette notification on the demarcation of electoral constituencies, the chief election commissioner, ATM Shamsul Huda, in an address to the nation, announced the polls schedules.
Although the Awami League welcomed the elections schedule, the alliance led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party refused to contest the polls under the schedules, alleging that the schedules were announced to keep some probable candidates out of the electoral process. According to the Representation of the People Order, probable candidates need to reschedule their bank loans or pay their outstanding utility bills at least 15 days before the submission of nomination papers. The commission earlier kept only 11 days for candidates to file nomination papers from the date of the announcement of the election schedules.