Government struggles to appoint new qualified DCs

According to the government’s announcement, there are only three months left for the 13th National Parliamentary Election. The election schedule is expected to be declared in the first week of December.

However, the government is reportedly facing difficulty in appointing Deputy Commissioners (DC) in the districts ahead of the polls due to a shortage of sufficiently qualified officials.

As per government policy, officials who served in the 2014, 2018 and 2024 national elections will not be assigned to field administration roles during the upcoming election. The government intends to transfer many of the current DCs and appoint new ones before the election.

Sources in the Ministry of Public Administration have stated that most officials currently eligible for appointment as DCs had served as Assistant Returning Officers (ARO) during the 2018 national election. Conversely, many of those who did not serve as AROs do not meet the qualifications to become DCs.

According to regulations, an officer must have at least two years of experience in field administration to be eligible for appointment as a DC. Some officers fulfil this condition but are considered less capable in terms of administrative leadership.

During national elections, DCs usually act as Returning Officers (RO). In each constituency, the RO holds full responsibility for the election process and represents the Election Commission. Their neutrality, therefore, is of utmost importance.

In addition to election duties, the DC serves as the coordinator of development activities within the district and chairs over a hundred committees, including the District Law and Order Committee.

The position also carries significant privileges, an official residence (often a large government bungalow), access to multiple vehicles, police protection and domestic staff, making it a highly coveted post among civil servants.

To identify suitable candidates, the Cabinet Division began interviewing officers of the Deputy Secretary rank on Wednesday. The interviews are currently focusing on officials from the 29th BCS batch. 20 officers were interviewed on Wednesday night, followed by another 20 on Thursday night. Despite Friday being a public holiday, interviews continued. By today, Saturday, interviews of all 110 officers from the 29th batch are expected to be completed.

Previously, in June and July, 160 officers from the 28th BCS batch were interviewed. Of them, 20 were shortlisted for DC appointments, most of who had served as AROs in previous elections. However, none of those officers have yet been posted as DCs.

The Ministry of Public Administration has not issued any official statement regarding the matter. Attempts to contact the Secretary via phone were unsuccessful.

However, a senior official from the ministry, speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity said, “To ensure transparency and neutrality in the upcoming election, no officials who served in previous elections are being included this time.”

The official also noted that, in reality, there are very few officers who did not serve as AROs during the 2018 election.

Political parties argue that the last three general elections held under the Awami League government, which was ousted by the July popular uprising were controversial, one-sided and manipulated.

In the 2014 election, candidates in 153 constituencies were elected unopposed. The 2018 election became known as the “midnight vote”, while the 2024 election earned the label “dummy vote”.

During these elections, senior officials of the administration and police were widely accused of acting in favour of the then-ruling Awami League government.

Opposition parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), have long demanded that those who served during the previous elections be excluded from any role in the forthcoming one.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam reaffirmed that no officials who were involved in the past three elections would be posted in field administration particularly as DC, ADC (Additional Deputy Commissioners) or UNO (Upazila Nirbahi Officers) nor in any judicial capacity.

He said, “Even if an officer played a minimal role in any of those elections, they will not be assigned duties in the upcoming one”.

Earlier, Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury and the Election Commission had made similar statements, reinforcing the commitment to a neutral and transparent electoral process.

The Ministry of Public Administration has an established policy regarding the appointment of Deputy Commissioners (DC). According to the latest Posting Policy, formulated in 2022, officers from the administration cadre become eligible for appointment as DCs one year after being promoted to the rank of Deputy Secretary.

The policy further stipulates that the ‘fit list’ or the list of eligible candidates for DC appointments shall comprise only those officers who have a minimum of two years’ experience in field administration.

In addition, the officer’s Annual Confidential Reports (ACR) for the previous five years and their overall disciplinary record must be satisfactory.

Ordinarily, officers at the Deputy Secretary level are appointed as DC. A five-member committee, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, conducts interviews to finalise the appointments.

According to sources within the Cabinet Division, 21 districts are currently headed by DCs from the 24th BCS batch. All of them are expected to be withdrawn from field administration before the national election.

Similarly, 27 DCs from the 25th BCS batch are serving at present and some of them are also likely to be replaced due to a perceived lack of administrative competence.

Another 16 DCs belong to the 27th BCS batch. In total, the government plans to appoint at least 30 new DCs before the election.

Sources in the Ministry of Public Administration stated that officers from the 28th and 29th BCS batches are now eligible for DC positions. However, the majority of these officers served as Assistant Returning Officers (ARO) in the 2018 national election.

Furthermore, many from these two batches lack the required minimum of two years’ field administration experience, thereby rendering them ineligible for DC appointments.

There are currently 196 officers from the 28th batch and 198 officers from the 29th batch serving in the administration cadre. The reporter spoke with five officers who had served as ARO, and they expressed concern that the decision to exclude all officials who took part in the past three national elections is sending a negative message within the civil administration.

They argued that most Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNO) naturally served as AROs during elections and therefore the government should differentiate between those who acted with unnecessary enthusiasm or with political bias and those who were merely fulfilling official duties.

To advise on the transfer and posting of senior public officials, including DCs, the government formed a Public Administration Advisory Committee on 8 January, headed by Economic Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed.

However, questions were raised by a political party regarding alleged bias among certain committee members. Consequently, the government dissolved the committee on Thursday.

The Adviser to the Ministry of Public Administration, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, has assured that all postings and transfers made during the election period will be carried out with complete neutrality.

AKM. Abdul Awal Majumder, Rector of the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC) and former Secretary, told Prothom Alo that, whether willingly or under pressure, government officials became involved in controversial activities during the past three national elections. “In that context,” he said, “the government cannot be blamed for excluding those officials now.”

He further noted, however, that a categorisation process should have been undertaken to distinguish between those who acted as partisan loyalists and those who were compelled to comply.

“Had such classification been done earlier,” he added, “the current complications surrounding DC appointments could have been avoided.”