& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Hasina wishes more gap before UZ polls

AL kick-starts polls race today

Staff Correspondent
Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina welcomed the Election Commission (EC) for unveiling the detailed timetable for the ninth parliamentary polls last
She however observed that the upazila polls should have been deferred.
The fo rmer prime minister, now in Washington, expressed doubts whether the EC would be able to ensure successful conduct of the two major elections with such a little space in between.
According to schedules, the national election will be held on December 18 and upazila polls on December 28.
Hasina urged the commission to have a logical time gap, her Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told The Daily Star last night.
She said her party's preparations for the election are on the final stage. “We are ready to distribute nomination forms," she told her press secretary over phone shortly after the Chief Election Commissioner's (CEC) announcement.
The AL chief also criticised the option of 'no-vote'. She said it
FROM PAGE 1
would confuse the voters, and might lead to many ballots being cancelled.
Meanwhile, AL acting president Zillur Rahman said the party will start formal electoral activities today.
He said its nomination forms have already* gbhff w press'.’ The parliamentary aspirants could begin to collect those within a week.
Briefing newsmen at his Gulshan residence after the CECS televised address, he said AL would settle on its nominations on recommendations from the grassroots level committees.
Both Hasina and Zillur said confusions in the public mind over the December 18 polls would almost be over how that the schedules are published.
“We are glad the election schedule is announced," he observed.
He said despite its disapproval of two major elections being held in such close proximity, the party will participate in both the polls.
Replying to a query, the veteran AL leader said the party will firm up its electoral alliance after Hasina’s return home on October 10.
He demanded immediate unconditional release of Hasina so that she could take part in the polls as a free person.
He called for the EC to have the upazila and national elections spaced at least a month apart. Otherwise, he said, there might be violence centringthe polls.
Zillur expressed displeasure at CEC’s not mentioning anything about withdrawal of the state of emergency.
He said the government’s main duty now is to lift the emergency curbs to create an atmosphere congenial to free electioneering.