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Army to be deployed

Decides EC for N'ganj city polls

Staff Correspondent
The Election Commission yesterday asked the Armed Forces Division to deploy the army for five days in Narayanganj to thwart any disruption in law and order during the city corporation polls there.
The election is scheduled for October 30.
The commission wants the government to deploy the army from the morning of October 28 to 11:00pm of November 1 as strike and mobile forces, according to the commission's letter sent to the AFD yesterday afternoon.
The commission
secretariat sent the letter moments after the constitutional body decided to use the army through reviewing overall law and order in the electoral areas. It asked for four companies of army personnel. A company consists of 90 to 110 soldiers.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain said the letter signed by Deputy Secretary Mihir Sarwar Morshed reads: “the commission has taken the decision for army deployment so voters can return home safely after casting their votes".
The commission is taking all necessary measures to ensure free and fair polls. For this, it opted for army deployment to aid the civil administration, thelettersaid.
The army personnel will have the authority to take action to prevent violation of electoral code of conduct and arrest anybody without warrants within the radius of 400 yards of polling stations on election day. The electoral laws on the local government polls empower the army with this authority.
TWo front-running may-oral candidates--Awami League leader Selina Hayat Ivy and BNP-backed Taimur Alam Khandaker—had been demanding army deployment.
Satisfied over the decision of army deployment, Ivy and Taimur said it would help the
Election Commission hold the polls in a free, fair and peaceful manner.
Ivy, however, reiterated her demand for changes in the top posts of local police and the administration to ensure a fair election.
Awami League-backed candidate Shamim Osman said he is also happy over the decision as his two rivals Ivy and Taimur are satisfied by the decision of army deployment.
Locals are also satisfied by the commission's move. Rafiur Rabbi, a vice-president of Narayanganj Nagorik Committee, a body of citizens, said deployment of the army would encourage voters to cast their votes without any fear.
The Election Commission had earlier decided to deploy around 4,500 members of Rapid Action Battalion, police, Ansar and the Coast Guard in the electoral areas.
On Saturday, Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda said closed circuit televisions (CCTV) will be set up in over 100 vulnerable polling centres.
The maiden polls to Narayanganj City Corporation have already drawn huge public attention as neither Shamim Osman nor Selina Hayat Ivy—two mayoral aspirants from Awami League—withdrew candidacy despite Prime Minister and party chief Sheikh Hasina's efforts to persuade one of them to stand down.