Minority communities want their representative in EC

Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has demanded the inclusion of a capable and acceptable representative of religious and ethnic minority communities in the formation of the new election commission.

The council placed its demand to president Abdul Hamid and the search committee, tasked with suggesting names for the formation of the next election commission. The council also sent a letter to the search committee on 12 February on the matter.

The new election commission will be formed soon as the tenure of current one will expire on 14 February.

Rana Dasgupta, prosecutor of International Crimes Tribunal and general secretary of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, said this while reading out a written statement at a press conference in the capital’s National Press Club on Monday.

He said, “The search committee led by justice Obaidul Hassan will give a list of 10 people to the president for the formation of the next election commission to hold the next election neutrally and impartially.”

“We request the president and the search committee to include a capable and acceptable representative of religious and ethnic minority communities in the election commission and to ensure their representation in the commission,” he added.

Rana Dasgupta said religious and ethnic minority communities constitute at least 12 per cent of the voters in the country and they had no representative in the previous election commissions.

Council president professor Neem Chandra Bhowmik presided over the press conference.