Election Commission hurriedly publishes the gazette: Badiul Alam Majumdar
Badiul Alam Majumdar, the secretary of Citizens for Good Governance (SHUJAN), stated that there have been allegations that unqualified candidates were given the opportunity to contest in the Thirteenth National Parliament election.
Despite this, the Election Commission did not investigate. They hastily published the gazette late at night, effectively washing their hands of the matter, as if they have nothing more to do.
In the press conference held on Thursday morning at the National Press Club in Dhaka, Badiul Alam Majumdar expressed his views. The purpose of the conference was to present information about the elected members of the Thirteenth National Parliament.
Badiul Alam Majumdar believes that if unqualified individuals participate in the election, it skews the results and raises questions about the fairness of the election.
He suggested that when such questions arise, the Election Commission can investigate and potentially annul the results. They can also call for a new election. These issues have arisen in this election as well, but the Election Commission did not investigate. They hurriedly published the gazette late at night.
The SHUJAN secretary mentioned that many candidates had allegations of loan default against them prior to the election. They participated in the election by obtaining a ''stay order'' from the court. Additionally, there were many questions regarding dual citizenship.
Allegations were made that many individuals with dual citizenship, who didn't provide necessary documents, were allowed to contest in the election.
The Election Commission was requested to investigate these matters and make decisions before publishing the gazette. It was also recommended that they certify whether the election was fair within 48 hours of its conclusion. However, they did not fulfill this critical responsibility.
Nonetheless, Badiul Alam Majumdar remarked in the press conference that there is still an opportunity.
He mentioned that Section 91 of the RPO states that if there is any question or allegation about the affidavit, even after the publication of the gazette, the Election Commission can investigate and make a decision. They can also annul the election.
According to SHUJAN's information, among the 297 winners in the election, 147 are loan recipients, which is approximately 50 per cent. Among them, 36 individuals have taken loans exceeding Tk 50 million, and 126 of them were elected from the BNP.
SHUJAN's report also indicated that compared to the Twelfth National Parliament election, the rate of loan recipients has increased in this election. During the Twelfth National Parliament election, this rate was 45 per cent.