Opposition BNP senior lawmaker Barrister Moudud Ahmed has expressed his concern over the delay of gazette notification on the election of four new city council mayors of Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet. Rising on a point of order at the Jatiya Sangsad on Sunday, the BNP legislator asked the Election Commission (EC) to issue the gazette notification on their elections and arrange for their swearing-in ceremony immediately.
Moudud Ahmed told the parliament chaired by Speaker Shirin Shermin Chowdhury that it has been eight days since the elections to the four city corporations were held but the EC has not yet been able to issue gazette notification on those polls.
The BNP lawmaker accused the government of hatching what he called a “conspiracy to undo the election results” and said that that is probably the reasons why the election mandates have not been implemented and gazette notification has not been made by the EC.
He said if Awami League-supported candidates were winners in the same elections, by now they would probably have taken their oath of office.
Moudud Ahmed told the House that he had heard that the incumbent mayors would be allowed to hold on to their mayoral positions through October this year and said that if that happens, the people would lose their confidence in city corporation polls.
He further alleged that a move is being made to offer the rank of deputy minister to the newly elected mayor of four city corporations of Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet instead of the rank of state minister. If it is true, it would be a dishonor to the people’s mandate, he observed.
Responding to Moudud’s contention, treasury bench lawmaker Suranjit Sengupa, a minister without portfolio, said the city corporation elections were not held by the government; they were held by the Election Commission.
Therefore, Sengupta said, the government is not responsible for the delay in issuing gazette notification. “It’s the job of the Election Commission that should be given enough time to perform its responsibilities in a smooth manner,” he added.
The treasury bench senior lawmaker told the parliament that the final results of the four city corporation elections would be announced by the EC and also the power would be transferred to the newly elected mayors at appropriate time.
-With The Independent input
