Staff Reporter:
Awami League nominated mayoral candidate for Gazipur City Corporation Azmat Ullah has been summoned to the Election Commission (EC) headquarters on 7 May to explain violation of electoral code of conduct.
A letter signed by EC secretariat’s joint secretary Farhad Ahammad Khan on Thursday asked Azmat Ullah to be present at the EC headquarters on 7 May.
The EC also sent a letter to state minister for youth and sports Md Zahid Ahsan on violation of code of conduct.
The letter to Azmat Ullah reads, “A show cause notice was served to you on 30 April seeking explanation over violation of electoral code of conduct during submission of nomination paper in Gazipur City Corporation election. Yet, state minister for youth and sports Md Zahid Ahsan on 4 May sought votes for you at a meeting in your presence. The news was published in print, electronic media and social media. The act was in violation with the rule 5 of City Corporation (Election Code of Conduct) Rules 2016. As per the rule 32, there is provision for disqualification of candidature for violation of the Code of Conduct.”
The letter asked Azmat Ullah to come to the room number 315 of the Nirbachan Bhaban in the city’s Agargaon to explain why his candidature would not be cancelled for running election campaigns before the allocation of electoral symbols.
Meanwhile the letter issued to Zahid Ahsan mentioned that he sought vote for Azmat Ullah despite being an influential person of the government and thus violated the rules 5 and 22 of City Corporation (Election Code of Conduct) Rules 2016. The letter asked the state minister’s personal secretary to bring the issue to his notice.
The EC earlier on 29 April issued another letter to Zahid Ahsan warning him over breaching the electoral code of conduct.
Amid repeated violation of code of conduct in the run up to the Gazipur city polls, the EC on Thursday evening conducted an emergency meeting to discuss the matter.
The returning officer earlier warned Azmat Ullah, liberation war affairs minister and local lawmaker AKM Mozammel Haque and Zahid Ahmed about violation of the electoral code of conduct.
Also, the EC issued letters to Awami League’s general secretary and cabinet division requesting them to take measures so that ministers, state ministers and lawmakers adhere to the electoral code of conduct ahead of elections to five city corporations.
