The Awami League (AL) yesterday said the new election schedule announced by the Election Commission (EC) recently created fresh doubts about the polls.

"We had started work on finalising nominations keeping the Election Commission’s poll schedule in mind but the schedule was changed. This is unexpected." AL spokesman and Joint General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said.

Ashraful was speaking to report-ers after Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty made a courtesy call on AI, President Sheikh Hasina that lasted around 90 minutes.

Ashraf said the elections must be held on December 18.

He said. "We heard that the

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schedule may be changed again. But we hope the government and the Election Commission will not in any way defer the election date, now scheduled for December 18."

"If the elections are not held in December, it will be disastrous for Bangladesh, "he said.

Asked to clarify what he meant by disastrous, he explained that if the elections are not held in December there will be political uncertainty. He said the caretaker government’s mandate comes to an end in December and after that what government will take over?

The Indian high commissioner told reporters that he and Hasina did not discuss politics and he only enquired about Hasina's health and the treatment she had undergone.-

Pinak said, "We hear that the polls will be held on December 18 and itshould beheld.”

When his attention was drawn to the political parties' demand for not holding the elections under the state of emergency, the envoy said, That is the decision the parties in discussion with the government and Election Commission have to make." He said, "Discussions are going on so, 1 hope for the best."

Ashraf said during her meeting with envoys of different countries Hasina said the polls must be held on December 18 because without an elected government normalcy will not return to the economic, social and political arenas.

"A constitutional government, which will come through elections, can only attract foreign investment, control commodity prices and create employment," Ashraf quoted Hasina as saying.

He said the Indian envoy said they want to see elections are held here like in other democratic nations and they are ready to extend their help in this regard.