Ballot papers to be sent to polling stations on election day morning: EC

*The Election Commission today asked returning officers to send the ballot papers for the January 7 national elections to all polling centres, barring those in remote and hard-to-reach areas, on the morning of election day.* The EC issued a circular in this regard today. It is the first time that the commission has asked for ballot papers to reach the polling centres on the morning of polling day. However, the timing of delivery of ballot papers to polling centres located in hilly, haor, baor, char or island areas or areas far from the district or upazila headquarters or metropolitan areas, should be determined by the ROs, according to the circular. Respective returning officers will have to make plans for delivering the ballor papers on the morning of polling day and get those approved by the Election Commission by December 31, 2023. Usually, during parliamentary elections, ballot boxes are sent to polling centres on the afternoon or evening before the polling day. Presiding officers and law enforcement agencies took ballot papers to the centres on the previous day. Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal told reporters at the EC office in the capital, "As far as possible, the ballots will reach [polling centres] on the morning of polling day." The polling agents will have to be there to see that the polling boxes are empty and the ballot papers reached the polling station in the morning, he said. Asked why the EC has taken this step, "There was demand for this from many, and this will increase transparency." EC officials said they took the steps to send the ballots on polling day morning to avoid "allegations or controversy" over voting taking place at night instead of polling day. Opposition parties including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) alleged ballots were stuffed at various voting centres on the night before election day during the 11th parliamentary election on 30 December, 2018.
Published on: 2023-12-18 10:32:23.10436 +0100 CET