The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The Election Commission is sticking to its position of holding upazila election on December 28 though the top leaders of Awami League yesterday insisted to put back the local body polls by a month after the December 18 parliamentary election.

"We've told EC to set the nomination day for upazila polls after one month of the parliamentary election," AL presidium member Suranjit Sengupta told the New Nation yesterday.

However, the election commissioners did not responsed to the AL demand. They only took notes of the Awami League's points of view.

"We did not tell them anything. We gave a patient hearing to their speeches. We will analyse their points later and decide what to do and what not to do," Election Commissioner Shakhawat Hossain said.

A 7-member delegation of Awami League had a meeting with the Election Commission yesterday evening. The delegation included presidium members Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Begum Matia Chowdhury, HT Imam and acting general secretary Ashraful Islam

Chief Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda, Election Commissioners M Sohul Hussain and M Sakhawat Hossain represented the EC.

Suranjit Sengupta said that they requested them to extend time to defaulters to repay loans and pay bills till the nomination day enabling them to file nomination. The genuine candidates should be given the facility to contest the election.

The Awami League leaders also repeated their request for introducing a code of conduct for both print and electronic media to ensure fair and impartial news coverage of all political parties.

The AL also sought a list of election observers so that they could monitor neutrality.

About lifting emergency before election Ashraful Islam said, "It is the matter of government and we have already talked about it. If necessary, we will sit with the government again."

The CEC announced the schedules for the general and Upazila elections on November 2, due on December 18 and Dec 28 respectively. Deadline for submission of nomination papers for both polls is November 13.