The Election Commission (EC) has turned down the Jatiya Oikya Front’s plea to defer the 11th Parliamentary Election.
“The Commission does not find Oikya Front’s call to defer the polls as logical and practical. So there’s no option to delay it and the voting will be held on Dec 30,” EC Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed told the media on Thursday (Nov 15).
He said that there were some “legal and constitutional factors over holding the polls in January” before adding that the Bishwa Ijtema is scheduled for that month when the law enforcers will be deployed to ensure security for the 3 to 4 million people attending it.

On the Oikya Front’s demands of not using EVMs and deploying troops, EC Secretary Ahmed said that the Commission’s decision to use it on a limited scale in polling stations at urban areas stands.


“The Commission has decided to deploy army, but the details are yet to be sorted,” he added.
The BNP and Awami League have informed the Commission in written over parties using their polls logo, said the EC official.
He made it clear that the provision to use coalition partner’s polls symbol only applies to parties registered with the Commission. “Candidates of unregistered parties will have to secure nomination from the parties, whose symbol they will use.”
The deadline to inform the Commission on coalition ends of Thursday, Ahmed said before adding the Awami League’s list filed to EC does not include AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury’s Bikalpa Dhara.