A civil society platform has called for electing candidates, who are honest, capable and devoted to public welfare, in Dhaka City polls, scheduled for Feb 1.
Shushaner Janyo Nagorik (SHUJAN) made the remarks during a human chain demonstration in front of the National Press Club on Wednesday (Jan 29).

The platform’s General Secretary Badiul Alam Mazumdar stressed the importance of the candidates being honest and devoted to the people.

“The candidates, who will be elected by us on Feb 1, will hold city corporation offices during the upcoming five years,” he said.

He expressed concern over the violation of the codes of conduct before the election, saying, “The candidates are violating many codes of conduct and the Election Commission (EC) turning a blind eye toward the issue.”

“It seems like, they won’t risk offending the ruling party,” he said before terming the situation as “alarming.”

“They think themselves as post office employees, as a letter should be served to the destined address, nothing else to do. Similarly, after receiving complaints, they just promise actions against it,” he said.

Coming down heavily on the EC, he said, “They don’t understand the importance of their Constitutional duty.”

Addressing electronic voting machines (EVMs) as one of the discomforting issues, he said, “The EC lacks public confidence. Moreover, they brought EVMs without paper trails; as a result, auditing votes won’t be possible.”

He also hoped for the people’s presence at polling stations and their decision over the capable candidates.