CEC Huda not worried about holding polls despite discord in EC

chief election commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda believes holding of the 11th parliamentary elections will not be any tough task despite discord among the commissioners of election commission (EC) in taking decisions.

The chief election commissioner expressed his views while talking to newsmen at Nibachan Bhaban (election building) in the capital on Tuesday.

Election commissioner Mahbub Talukdar issued a ‘note of dissent’ and boycotted an EC meeting once again on Monday.

Around 10 minutes after the start of the commission’s 36th meeting with the CEC in the chair, Mahbub issued his ‘note of dissent’ and left the meeting room as, he said, his opinions on various issues were not evaluated at all.

Nurul Huda, however, declined to comment on whether he breached the laws regarding the right to opinion by not allowing Mahbub Talukder to talk at the meeting.

In the ‘note of dissent’, Mahbub Talukder wanted to discuss ways to deploy army personnel in polls, holding talks with political parties for participatory polls, increasing the EC’s capabilities, finding out ways to ensure equal opportunities for all parties competing in the polls and discussing with the government on recommendations that came from earlier talks, EC sources said.

On 30 August, commissioner Mahbub Talukder boycotted another meeting of the commission issuing a ‘note of dissent’ on the use of electronic voting machine (EVM) in the 11th national elections.