Commissioner Mahbub leaves EC meeting opposing EVMs

Election commissioner Mahbub Talukdar on Thursday raised objection to the move to procure electronic voting machines (EVMs) for using in the December general polls, according to EC officials.

Amid criticism and controversy, the election commission on Thursday organised a meeting at the Nirbachan Bhaban to finalise a proposal for amending the People Representative Order (RPO) for giving legal coverage to use of EVMs in the parliamentary elections.

Mahbub left the meeting giving a note of decent within half an hour of the beginning at 11:00am, sources there said.

The sudden move, less than two months before the announcement of the election schedule in October, has been questioned by the political parties.

The opposition parties wonder if 150,000 EVMs will be procured just to serve vested quarters, especially when they do not have the capacity to make the best use of them.

Some of the election commissioners also pointed out it is not the right time to plan the use of EVMs in the national elections. This would create controversy, they added.

Last year, the EC held dialogues with 39 political parties. Some 23 parties gave their opinion on the use of EVMs in the 11th parliamentary elections. A total of 12 parties including the BNP opposed the use of EVMs.

Seven parties including Awami League were in favour of EVMs while three parties suggested using it on trial basis and a party favoured EVMs on certain conditions.

The EC has already started a five-year Tk 38 billion project on procurement of 150,000 EVMs with Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory (BMTF) being tasked to supply the machines. The EC was to hold a meeting of the project evaluation committee on 19 August, but it was not eventually held.

Despite the impasse, the Trust Bank got a special permission from the Bangladesh Bank to open a letter of credit (L/C) for procurement of the EVMs.

Official documents say the BMTF would buy the machines and other machinaries from China, Hong Kong and other countries. Till date, L/Cs worth over Tk 7 billion have been opened. Around Tk 26.96 billion would be spent to buy the machines.