It is not Election Commission's responsibility to bring everyone to polls: EC Rashida

Election Commissioner (EC) Begum Rashida Sultana commented that it is not the Election Commission's responsibility to bring everyone to the polls.

"People will elect whom they want to elect. We have no say in this. But politics have become very different now. As a result of this, everyone is asking why is the EC not taking the responsibility of bringing everyone to the polls. I want to say that the responsibility is not ours. We held meetings with the parties," she said at a workshop on "Free Voting Rights: Role of Candidates and Polling Agents" organised at the Election Building on Wednesday (4 October). 

A free election is the main objective of the Election Commission, she said. 

"We are working tirelessly for fair elections. That is why we held dialogues. Political parties who are not joining the polls, we have called them several times. CEC also wrote personally. But they didn't come," Begum Rashida Sultana added.

She also said it is wrong to think the EC does not want a participatory election. 

"We would like to ask everyone why we are not able to get their confidence. We are eager to know what we have done," she further said.