EC depriving public by not disclosing candidates’ information: Shujan

The Election Commission is depriving voters by not disclosing candidates' income tax details and publishing incomplete affidavits, said Citizens for Good Governance (Shujan).

Shujan raised the question of whether the commission is working in the interest of the people or not.

Members of Shujan made the statements at a virtual press conference on Thursday about presenting the information of the candidates contesting the Narayanganj City Corporation election.

Voting will take place in the Narayanganj City Corporation elections on 16 January. In this election, there are 189 candidates for mayor, councilor and reserved seats.

Shujan analysed the data of 186 candidates as the EC did not disclose the information of three candidates on their website.

Shujan's Coordinator Dilip Kumar presented the information of the candidates.

Analysing the educational qualifications of the candidates, Shujan says that this time the participation of highly educated candidates has increased.

In Narayanganj, majority of the candidates are businessmen.

However, no information was found about the income of 12% candidates and the information candidates did provide was also not a true picture, said Shujan.

At the press conference, Shujan's secretary Badiul Alam Majumder, said that the information given in the affidavit was not detailed, tables are not accurate. So, this needs to be changed, he added.

Shujan said the Election Commission did not provide wealth statements of candidates in the Dhaka City Corporation polls held in 2020 and similar situation is also observed in the Narayanganj city polls.

A letter was sent to the Election Commission regarding the matter, but the commission told Shujan that they would not disclose it.

In response to a question, Badiul Alam Majumder said that the purpose of all this information is that people can make informed decisions while voting.

Commenting on Chief Election Commissioner Nurul Huda's statement, "Narayanganj MP Shamim Osman has violated the code of conduct, but it is not a punishable offense," the Shujan secretary said violating the code of conduct is a punishable offence.

Badiul Alam Majumder also said, "EVM is a weak method of voting and with it, the result can go in any direction. Since it is in the hands of the commission, they too can change the outcome."

Speaking on the occasion, Syed Abu Naser Bakhtiyar Ahmed, treasurer of Shujan, said, "The Election Commission needs to pay attention to providing accurate information. I hope the commission will fulfill this responsibility well."

Shujan's Executive Member Shahnaz Huda and Narayanganj Shujan's Secretary Dhiman Saha also spoke at the press conference.