Zilla parishad polls peaceful and disciplined: CEC

The chief election commissioner (CEC), Kazi Habibul Awal, on Monday said the zilla parishad elections were held in a peaceful and disciplined manner as no information of irregularities and violence was reported.    

He came up with this claim while briefing journalists after the end of the voting at 57 zilla parishad elections. Voters exercised their franchise through Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). EC observed the elections through CCTV cameras.       

He said, "At the outset, we are saying that we want fair elections. Our duty is to ensure whether the voters are able to cast their votes. No second person (outsiders) was seen in the voting room (secret room). Voters cast their votes in a disciplined way. We have stepped up our monitoring. The number of cameras has been increased."         

Referring to the suspension of by-polls to Gaibandha-5 on the grounds of huge irregularities, Kazi Habibul Awal said it had a positive impact on zilla parishad elections.

When asked whether winning uncontested will have any negative impact on the election culture, the CEC said they will not comment on the issue.   

Replying to another question, he claimed they don’t have the information on the presence of the members of parliament in the voting centres.