Following talks with the Election Commission, Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh-led coalition Jukto Front says they believe that the commission is capable of holding a free and fair general election.
“The commission has said that they will try their best not disappoint the nation. They also said they will create a history by holding a credible election. We are assured and want to keep our faith on them,” Bikalpa Dhara Secretary General Abdul Mannan told the media after the hour-long talks on Tuesday.
On the Jatiya Oikya Front’s calls for deferring the polls schedule, he said that the Commission told them it was not an option.
“We have asked the Commission for holding the elections on time. The 2006 experience says that deferring the polls will create a constitutional vacuum leading all sort of things,” said Mannan.
The Bikalpa Dhara, however, is against the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the upcoming parliamentary election.
“We said if EVMs were used at all the polling stations then it would have been a different discussion. But using it on a limited scale might create controversies,” he said.
Mannan said the demanded deploying army with the task of “policing” during the polls.
“Troops as a strike force will not be enough. We have asked to task them with the job of police and deploy four to five at each polling station.”
Responding to a query on taking a stance against the Oikya Front’s call for deferring polls, he said that was not the case. “It’s what the people want. A vacuum will be created if the polls are deferred, which might pave the way for any other forces (to take over).”
Describe the Jukto Front as the “mother alliance” and Gano Forum chief Kamal Hossain’s coalition with the BNP as a “baby alliance”, Mannan said that the Oikya Front’s seven demands included the five demands they had earlier raised for ensuring a free, fair and credible election.