JS Polls: Two-Thirds Of Code Breaching From AL Candidates

Two-thirds of allegations for breaching the electoral code of conduct in the run-up to Bangladesh's January 7 JS Polls were reported against ruling Awami League candidates, according to an internal police document.

Police documented 155 incidents of electoral code violations in a month, and 102 of those allegations were against ruling party candidates and 53 against independent or other party candidates. Election authorities fined candidates for 91 such violations, while the rest ended up with candidates being show-caused or warned.

The police headquarters deputy inspector general (operations), Anwar Hossain, said they were not seeing the political identities of the candidates but rather taking action based on the merits of the allegations.

He added that they were expecting candidates to play a role in reducing violence.

A separate police document found 172 cases of electoral violence between November 30 and December 27 in 45 districts, in which five shooting incidents, three cases of bomb explosions, and 20 arson attacks took place.

During the period, 29 cases related to electoral violence were filed with different police stations, while nine general diaries were also filed.

Those incidents have left two people killed and 212 people, including 14 police personnel, injured, according to the police documents.

The home ministry’s election monitoring cell received 268 complaints related to electoral violence or breaches of code involving the ruling AL or party-backed independent candidates between December 19 morning and December 27 afternoon.

According to our correspondents, at least three people have been killed in Pirojpur, Mymensingh, and Madaripur, and scores have been injured since the Election Commission announced the schedule for the 12th parliamentary election on November 15, allowing the election campaign to start on December 18.

Independent candidates have accused the ruling Awami League candidates of carrying out those attacks and intimidations amid the vigilance of magistrates and police and the deployment of additional forces from the paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh.

Many independent candidates alleged that their supporters had been obstructed and their election campaign offices had been vandalised, while their rivals were issuing threats publicly or using social media.

Some 1,900 candidates from the ruling AL, the Jatiya Party, the newly-formed Bangladesh Nationalist Movement, and independent candidates are among those contesting the election.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies, who are not participating in the election, have urged people to refrain from voting.

The BNP and its allies are on the streets demanding the cancellation of the election and the resignation of the government by handing over power to a non-party caretaker administration to conduct the election.

The ruling party’s official candidates keep facing challenges from independent AL or dummy candidates in at least 185 parliamentary constituencies, in which at least 382 independent candidates are contesting.

Correspondents reported from different districts that scores of people were injured in sporadic clashes between supporters of the official AL and independent AL candidates in different districts between Wednesday and Thursday.

Lakshmipur correspondent reported that independent candidate Habibur Rahman Paban, who is contesting from Lakshmipur-1 constituency with the eagle symbol, alleged that he was assaulted on Thursday (December 28) afternoon, and neither police nor administration responded to his request for help.

On Thursday afternoon, supporters of AL-nominated candidate Anwar Hossain Khan chased supporters of the independent candidate in Ramganj.

Anwar Hossain’s campaigner and upazila Chhatra League president Robiul Jaman Apu blamed the supporters of the independent candidate for the trouble.

Returning officer and district deputy commissioner Suraiyan Jahan said they were examining footage in connection with the incident and would take action.

In Joypurhat, independent candidate Golam Mahfuz Chowdhury Aboshor, who was contesting from Joyrurhat-2 constituency, alleged that supporters of his rival, ruling AL-nominated candidate Abu Sayeed Al Mahmood Swapon, physically assaulted him and his supporters, leaving 25 people injured in Akkelpur on Wednesday (December 27).

Abu Sayeed could not be reached until Thursday night.

Akkelpur police station officer in charge Shahinur Rahman said that both sides clashed, resulting in the injuries of seven people, and the police recorded one case from each candidate.

In Madaripur, a supporter of AL-nominated candidate Abdus Sobhan Mia and AL’s Sahebrampur union unit president Kamrul Hasan Selim said that if the police did not work for the ruling party symbol boat, they would not be allowed to work in Kalkini police station. The video of his remark went viral.