The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Both the alliances led by Awami League and the BNP yesterday appeared at the Election Commission and lodged allegations few hours before the much awaited parliamentary elections.

A seven-member grand-alliance delegation led by Awami League leader HT Imam had a meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda and demanded publication of the election results without distortion of facts.

Earlier, a five-member delegation of the BNP-led four-party alliance led by BNP joint secretary general Nazrul Islam Khan had a meeting with the Commission and alleged that some administrative officials have been working in favour of their rival alliance.

Election Commissioner Brig Gen (Retd) M Sakhawat Hossain was present during the parleys with the two alliances

After the meeting between the leaders of the grand alliance and the election Commission HT Imam told reporters that they told the Commission that it should be aware of the secretaries who he said discharged duties in favor of a vested quarter.

"We've requested the EC to be aware of those secretaries," he said.

Imam said still there are many partisan and nonpartisan officials in the administration but they have become "our associates in

discharging duties".

"We don't want to create divisions among them (officials)," he said.

The delegation said the election results have to be published without making any kind of mistake like the previous elections.

He said the returning officers have to publish the results after collecting the results from all presiding officers and send these to the election commission so that 'distortion of the facts is not committed in the midway'.

Earlier, BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan told reporters that some administrative officials are working in favor of their rival Awami League-led alliance ahead of the election.

"We've received such allegations from our candidates and placed those before the commission. It's a violation of code of conduct and barrier to holding the elections in a free and fair manner," he said.

Khan said the Commission assured them that it would take immediate measures.

He made it clear that any kind of negligence about the polls would not be accepted as the nation has waited two years for a fair election in the country.

Khan also alleged that the civil administration and the police administration are assisting the rival candidates who are

contesting the elections in some constituencies.

"Our candidates have been beaten and their posters torn in some areas," he said.