Awami League to accept polls thru EVM as per EC’s capacity: Hasan

Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League (AL) Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud on Saturday said the AL would accept the elections through electronic voting machines (EVMs) as per capacity of the Election Commission (EC) to avoid one-million dollar expenditure amid the global economic recession.

“Bangladesh has become digitalized and we, under the prudent and farsighted leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, are on the right track towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). We, definitely, want to use the modern technology - EVM) - which is being used in the world and through which vote rigging is not possible. We want the EVMs to stop violence and vote rigging during Begum Zia’s tenure,” he added.

The minister said this while replying to a query at a press briefing centering the preparation of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina public meeting on Sunday at AL city unit office here.

Hasan said the EC has proposed a project of about one million dollars for the EVMs. But it is not appropriate to buy EVMs in the perspective of ongoing recession-stricken world as the government’s main priority is people’s welfare, he added.

Replying to another query, the minister said the elections will be held as per the constitution like in other democratic countries including India, the United Kingdom, the USA and the countries of Continental Europe. The polls will be held under the Election Commission and the present government would run the state as per the constitution, he added.

He said BNP along with leftists, rightists, extreme leftists and extreme rightists got about 30 seats in 2008 polls. They set fire to more than 500 polling centers and burned books of school students to disrupt the 2014’s polls and democratic system, he said, adding, even, they killed some polling officers through arson attacks.

Later, he said, the BNP-led alliance got only six seats in 2018’s elections. It is easy to understand that there is no ray of hope of winning in the upcoming polls and, for this, they are raising many excuses, he added.

The AL leader invited those who are telling that there will be not be any big gathering in tomorrow’s public meeting in the city, to come and see it.

Hasan said it is Awami League’s public meeting, not of 14-party alliance. But, the parties of the alliance are invited and “we will be happy if they join”.

AL Presidium Member and Rajshahi city Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Litan, lawmaker Md Ayen Uddin, AL central member Begum Akther Jahan, AL Rajshahi city unit general secretary Dablu Sarker, acting president of AL district unit Anil Sarker and general secretary Abdul Wadud Dara, among others, were present in the press briefing.