Election Commission dialogue today, BNP and like-minded people will not go

Saleh Revolution: [২] The Election Commission (EC) is holding a dialogue with 44 registered political parties including Awami League, BNP ahead of the 12th National Assembly elections. The dialogue will be held in two parts, morning and afternoon, at the conference hall of the election building at Agargaon in the capital on Saturday. The EC has already invited the political parties to discuss the overall issues including the progress of election preparations. The letter in this regard has reached most of the political parties. However, there are divisions among the parties regarding participation in the dialogue. Bengali Insider

[৩] According to the constitution, elections must be held within 90 days before the end of the term of parliament. The term of the current 11th Parliament ends on January 29. According to the calculations, the 90-day count started last November 1. The Election Commission is preparing to announce the details of the national election in the second week of this month and prepare for the polls at the beginning of next January. Before the announcement of the schedule, the President said. The Election Commission has asked to meet Sahabuddin. Before that, the commission called a dialogue with the political parties on the overall preparation of the polls.

[৪] Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat. Jahangir Alam said, 22 teams in the morning and 22 in the afternoon, thus the EC dialogue will be held in two parts. The president and general secretary of the parties or two representatives appointed by them have been invited to participate in the dialogue.

[৫] Earlier, the EC held a dialogue with the political parties in July last year. Then 9 parties including BNP did not respond to the Election Commission’s invitation. They said that it is not possible for the current election commission to organize free, fair and participatory elections.

[৬] This time, most of the political parties, including the ruling Awami League and the 14-party alliance partners, will respond to the EC’s call and participate in the dialogue. On the other hand, BNP and their allies of the simultaneous movement are rejecting this initiative of the Election Commission. Islamic groups divided over dialogue. Apart from this, some political parties are still undecided. Talking to the leaders of the registered parties, their stance on dialogue was ascertained.

[৭] It is known that according to the constitution, 14-party coalition partners including Awami League will participate in the EC dialogue with the aim of holding the 12th National Parliament election on time. They claim that during the elections, the interim government will only do routine work in the administration of the state. The EC will have the main responsibility of conducting the election. Therefore, they will respond to the EC’s call to engage in dialogue to cooperate in a free, fair and impartial election.

[৮] Awami League Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nashim said, I have received the letter. Awami League delegation will go to EC dialogue. The Election Commission is working for fair and free elections. It is our duty to answer their call.

[৯] On behalf of the Awami League, member of the presidium Lt. Colonel (retd) Farooq Khan and Information and Research Secretary Salim Mahmood will participate in the dialogue called by the EC, said Biplab Baruah, office secretary of the party.

[১০] Members of 14 parties including Jasad, Workers Party will go to the dialogue. The same decision was taken by the public forum and the alternative.

[১১] Allies of Jugpat including BNP will not go to dialogue. They claim that free, fair and impartial elections are not possible without a non-partisan caretaker government. EC has nothing to do here. Apart from that, the current EC is totally loyal to the government. So this dialogue of EC will not bring any benefit. The parties are now in the final phase of the movement demanding the resignation of the government, the dissolution of parliament, the formation of a new EC and elections under a non-partisan caretaker government. They want to take part in the election by fulfilling their demands.

[১২] BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said, ‘The party office is locked. Case in the name of all the leaders. Leaders are being arrested on false charges. An arrest operation is underway. In such a situation, who will sit in the dialogue with the leaders in jail?

[১৩] He also said that BNP will not go to any election under the Awami League government and the current Election Commission. We stand by this decision. We are protesting for the resignation of the government, dissolution of parliament, election under non-partisan government and formation of new election commission. We will participate in the election by making demands in the movement.

[১৪] The allies of BNP’s simultaneous movement have also expressed their negative position regarding the Election Commission’s dialogue. Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Oli Ahmed said, “We have received the letter.” Calling for EC dialogue will not bring any benefit until the attitude of the government changes. So there is no point in wasting people’s money by having tea and breakfast here.

[১৫] Sayful Haque, general secretary of Revolutionary Workers Party, said that he had received the letter, “We are not going to the EC dialogue.” Because going is unnecessary, meaningless.

[১৬] Chairman of Kalyan Party Syed Muhammad Ibrahim said that all other political parties are being called for a dialogue with the EC by keeping BNP in jail, keeping them in police station, and keeping them on the run with cases. Among these, we have a suspicion that in the elections that may be held two to two and a half months from now, we see a shadow of elections with all parties except BNP. The BNP office is now locked. Who will accept the EC dialogue invitation? He said, there is no use in this dialogue excluding BNP, the main opposition party of the country.

[১৭] JSD General Secretary Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapan said, I have received the letter. But we will not go into dialogue. EC has no agenda for us. Our agenda is interim government or electoral neutral government. So there is no point in discussing with them. Without a non-partisan government, it is not possible for the EC to hold free and fair elections.

[১৮] A number of registered parties will participate in the dialogue, even if there is no alliance. Trinamool BNP Secretary General Taimur Alam Khandkar said, we have already received the letter, we will also go for dialogue. We will see what preparations and steps EC is taking to make the next elections fair.

[১৯] Chairman of NPP Sheikh Chalauddin Chalu said, we have already received the letter, we will also go for dialogue. If there is an election, I will also participate there.

[২০] Chairman of Bangladesh NAP Jebel Rahman Gani said, we have already received the letter, we will go to dialogue. I will ask the Election Commission to play a proper role in holding a participatory election in the future.

[২১] The newly registered Bangladesh Nationalist Movement (BNM) will go for dialogue, the party’s leaders said.

[২২] On the other hand, the left-wing parties agitating for a non-partisan government from an independent position are not participating in the dialogue even though they are not in a joint movement or in any alliance. Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince said, “We have received the letter.” But I will not go into dialogue.

[২৩] Jatiya Party Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu said on Friday that no decision has been taken on dialogue yet.

[২৪] NDM and Bangladesh Muslim League (BML) could not take a decision like Japa. BML Chairman Sheikh Zulfiqar Bulbul Chowdhury said that he has received the dialogue letter and said that no decision has been taken yet. But the EC is unlikely to go into dialogue.

[২৫] Meanwhile, the Islamic parties are divided over the dialogue. Islami Oikyazot, Islamic Front Bangladesh, Zaker Party and Bangladesh Islami Front are in favor of EC dialogue. However, Charmonai Peer’s party Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Khilafat Majlis and Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis will not go to EC dialogue. Jamiat Ulamae Islam Bangladesh will take a decision subject to discussion after receiving the letter.

[২৬] Although there is no obligation, many of the former election commissioners are looking positively at the initiative of negotiating with the political parties before announcing the election schedule. However, they are of the opinion that EC has nothing to do if no team participates there.

[২৭] Former Election Commissioner Shah Newaz said that there is a constitutional obligation to hold elections on time. The Election Commission will do whatever is necessary for a fair and free election. As a part of this, the Election Commission has called the registered political parties for a dialogue to discuss the progress of the preparations for the upcoming National Assembly elections. Who came here and who didn’t—that’s why the EC will not stop the dialogue.

[২৮] He also said that if no party comes in the election, then the EC has nothing to do. Elections have been held before without BNP and that election was also valid. Acceptance may come up, it might come up. Elections are more acceptable if all parties participate.