CHITTAGONG: The `nonpolitical` city corporation election turned into a political one, an election commissioner said here Monday, indicating the open-secret matter of all the major political parties jockeying behind the two rival mayoral candidates.

Brig-gen (Retd) Shakawat Hossain, however, said the Election Commission won`t mind if local elections are really made political through legal reforms.

“Now local-government elections can be made political elections by reforming the law, if the ministry concerned wants so. The EC has no objection,” said the election commission.   

The ruling Awami League and the main opposition BNP have fielded their candidates under cover of two nonpolitical platforms.    
Immediate-past mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury is blessed by AL and its allies in the ruling Grand Alliance while BNP and its allies have set ex-commissioner and panel mayor Manzur Alam aginst him.      

Shakawat warned that the Election Commission is determined to make Chittagong City Corporation election free, fair and impartial and so none would be spared for any wrongdoing around the polls.

“We want to hold a `model` election in Chittagong this time around and so any kind of irregularity in this regard must not be tolerated,” he said after attending the inaugural progamme of training on CCC election in the port city`s Dr. Khastogir Govt. Girls High School.

The election commissuioner also called upon the candidates to maintain reasonable attetude in keeping the atmosphere over the CCC polls congenial.
 
Shakawat said a 22-member team of law enforcers would be deployed in every voting center during the election, set for June 17.

He directed the EC officials to inform the law enforcers immediately if electoral code and conduct were violated at the time of voting.

A total of 3,073 election officials from 10 wards attended the inaugural session of the training progamme.

BDST 1650 hrs June 7, 2010
RDG /RS/SMS/MUA