The interim government has failed to uphold its decision of not appointing officials who served in the past three national elections in the upcoming one.
Two officials who previously served as assistant returning officers (AROs) in earlier elections have been appointed as deputy commissioners (DCs).
In addition, two other officials have been appointed as DCs despite not having the required two years of service as upazila nirbahi officer (UNO), additional deputy commissioner (ADC), or deputy director of local government.
However, the posting policy issued by the public administration ministry in 2022 clearly states that an officer of the administration cadre must have at least two years of experience in any of these positions to qualify for appointment as a DC.
During elections, deputy commissioners (DCs) usually serve as returning officers. However, in its effort to exclude those who served in the three disputed elections held under the Awami League government, the interim administration has struggled to find qualified DCs.
According to insiders, the decision to exclude anyone who worked in the past three national elections from the upcoming 13th parliamentary election was not well thought out, as most officials had previously served as assistant returning officers (AROs). This made the condition difficult to follow.
Ahead of the 13th parliamentary election, the government appointed new DCs in 29 districts over two days, on Saturday and Sunday. Of them, 14 were appointed on Sunday and 15 the previous day. Among the 29, 21 officials were appointed as DCs for the first time, while the remaining eight were transferred to new districts.
A review of two government orders from the public administration ministry shows that two officers from the 25th and 27th BCS administration cadre batches were appointed as DCs, one of whom served as assistant returning officer in the 2014 national election, and the other in 2018.
Their appointments have sparked debate within the administration. Speaking on condition of anonymity, several officials told Prothom Alo that the government could not stick to its own decision.
They questioned why some officials are being appointed as DCs while others are excluded and suggested that the condition should be scrapped for DC appointments.
Additionally, two other officials were appointed as DCs despite not having the two years of experience as UNO or ADC; in their case, they were promoted through special consideration.
In the previous three elections, there were strong allegations that administration and police officials had acted in support of the Awami League government. BNP and other political parties have demanded that officials who served in those elections be kept away from responsibilities in the upcoming polls.
The chief adviser’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam recently said at a press conference that no official who served in the last three elections will be appointed to judicial responsibilities in field administration, particularly as DC, ADC, or UNO. Even if they had minimal involvement, they will not be assigned responsibilities in this election.
Home adviser Lieutenant General (retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury and the election commission have expressed the same stance. Meanwhile, there is discussion within the administration over the appointment of three officers from the now-defunct economic cadre as DCs.
Sources say the economic cadre was merged with the administration cadre in 2018. Officers from the economic cadre had no prior experience in field administration posts such as Assistant Commissioner or Assistant Commissioner (Land); they were directly assigned as UNOs, ADCs, or deputy directors in local government. The appointments of such officials as DCs, despite lacking field experience, have caused some latent discontent in the civil administration.
The public administration has indicated that at least five to eight more DC appointments will be made before the election, and officials have requested relaxation of the eligibility conditions in these cases.