Shakib served show cause notice

Awami League candidate from Magura-1 constituency and the T2O and ODI skipper of Bangladesh national cricket team Shakib Al Hasan has been served a show cause notice for breaching electoral code of conduct.

He has been asked to respond to the show cause notice in person to the electoral inquiry committee for Magura-1 constituency on Friday.

A letter, signed by Magura -1 electoral inquiry committee chief and joint district and sessions judge Satyabrata Shikder, was sent to Shaikb on Thursday.

The letter reads, “Shakib Al Hasan entered the Magura town with a motorcade on Wednesday. He joined a public reception in the town later which caused traffic congestion. This incident came up in several media reports. It’s a clear breach of the electoral code of conduct.”

The letter also sought explanation in writing as to why actions won’t be taken against Shakib Al Hasan for breaching the electoral code of conduct.

Star cricketer Shakib Al Hasan visited his hometown Magura for the first time after becoming Awami League candidate from Magura-1 for the 12th parliamentary election on Wednesday.

He breached the electoral code of conduct multiple times during the visit. He, however, urged all to adhere to the code of conduct while speaking at the district AL office in the afternoon.

According to party leaders, activists and witnesses, Shakib joined  a civic reception accorded to him under the banner of ‘Amra Magurabasi’ at Bir Muktijuddha Asaduzzaman Stadium at around 3:30pm. Addressing the event, Shakib sought vote for him and his party. A stage was also set up for the programme.

According to the electoral code of conduct, any candidate nominated by any registered political party or any independent candidate or any person on their behalf cannot start the electoral campaign three weeks before 21 days of the election day. The voting to the 12th parliamentary election will be held on 7 January. As such, nobody will be allowed to start election campaigns before 15 December.

Shakib Al Hasan couldn’t be reached for his comment in this regard. However, he regretted the public sufferings and asked everyone to abide by the electoral code of conduct.