The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The Election Commission is considering exempting privately owned walls from the purview of prohibition on writing any kind of things on the walls for the sake clean elections and clean cities.

However, writings of commercial advertisement would only be allowed in this regard, not any kind of writings on election campaign. Election Commissioner M Sohul Hussain Sunday said the EC got letters from persons concerned not to include the prohibition on commercial wall writings in the electoral code of conduct.

"There are people who earned money letting out the walls owned by them for commercial advertisement. They met with us and requested not to include the provision," he said.

Earlier, the EC formulated a draft law restricting posters and writings on the walls that would be implemented by the LGRD Ministry. There was a provision of a fine of Tk 10,000 and in default three months imprisonment for any violation of the law. Now, the EC is considering whether commercial writings could be allowed with the permission of the owners of the walls, Sohul said, adding that commercial advertisements are not related with elections. "But any kind of electoral writings won't be allowed on walls. Besides, there are provisions in city corporations that nothing can be written on walls," he said.

Meanwhile, the Election Commissioner said, the voters of Dhaka City Corporation left out from registration on the voter list still could register at the election offices (thana, upazila or district election offices).

"Getting registered is a continuos process. What the problem is now the left-out voters would have to be identified (by any other voter of the locality)," he said.

About classifying the risky polling stations, Sohul said the EC is now collecting the information from their election officials of the localities concerned as well as from the intelligent agencies.