Brahmanbaria: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Thursday urged the Election Commission to implement constituency-based postal ballots bearing candidate names and symbols for the In-Country Postal Voting in the forthcoming national election scheduled for February 12.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the BNP expressed concerns over a viral video showing postal ballots sent to Bahrain, seeking an explanation on how these ballots were distributed to expatriates. They highlighted the incident as a flaw in the out-of-country voting system.
A BNP delegation, led by Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, met with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin at Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon, presenting their proposals and concerns. Salahuddin briefed reporters about their discussions on the code of conduct and postal voting process, emphasizing that postal ballots should mirror general ballots by including candidate names and symbols.
Salahuddin criticized the preparation and distribution process of the postal ballots for expatriates, citing videos of irregularities such as multiple ballots sent to single residences and premature voting. He alleged that the incidents favored a particular political party and demanded a clear explanation from the Election Commission.
The BNP also addressed voter slip restrictions, suggesting they should include voter numbers, candidate names, and symbols to aid voter identification. Salahuddin argued for code of conduct amendments to simplify the election process and maximize voter participation.
He noted that BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman postponed a non-political visit respecting the Election Commission’s request. Previously, a BNP team led by Nazrul Islam Khan raised similar concerns with the Commission regarding the Bahrain incident. The Commission promised further investigation and action based on findings.
Election Commission Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed later clarified the viral video, attributing it to different postal delivery systems in countries like Bahrain. He explained that Bangladesh’s postal ballots were sent via the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and distributed similarly to student hostels, with no irregularities in the voting process. Ahmed deemed the video unnecessary and noted no opened envelopes were evident.