To verify acceptability for the use of the much talked about Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the next general elections, the Election Commission (EC) has decided to sit in dialogue with all the 39 political parties registered with the constitutional body (EC).
The EC has already invited all the registered political parties to meetings in phases on June 19, 21 and 28.
Besides, the EC authorities have been invited to verify the EVMs by the technical hands of those political parties.
It is learnt that the EC wants to use EVMs for vote casting in around 100 constituencies in the upcoming general elections. The EC has a total of 154,000 EVMs in its hands. But, some of the political parties and other quarters raised questions on the acceptability of the EVMs in the vote casting.
Ashok Kumer Debnath, Additional Secretary to the EC, said, all the 39 registered political parties have been invited to the EC office in phases on June 19, 21 and 28 for EVM verification.
“A maximum of four persons, including technical persons, from each of the political parties have been requested to come to the EC. They will be able to open the EVM or check the machine in any way”, he said.
The Additional Secretary to the EC said letters have already been sent to the general secretary or secretary general of each of the political parties in this regard.
The President appointed the Awal Commission on 26 February and the new commission took office on February 28. After taking charge of the electoral system of the country, the EC decided to hold dialogues with various quarters ahead of the 12th National Parliament elections.
As part of the process, the EC held dialogues with prominent academics, intellectuals of the country, journalists, civil society and media on March 13 and 22 and April 6 and 18 respectively.
Later, the EC also held dialogues with the election observers and experts.
According to the EC officials, 39 political parties registered with the EC would be invited in three phases and 13 political parties would be invited on each day.
In the first phase, the 13 political parties that have been invited to the dialogue with the EC on June 19 are Jatiya Party (Ershad), the main opposition in the National Parliament, Jatiya Party-JP, Krishak Sramik Janata League, Bangladesh National Awami Party, Bangladesh Jatiya Party-BJP, Jaker Party, Bangladesh Muslim League, Gano Forum, Gano Front, Bangladesh Jatiya Party, Bangladesh Nationalist Front-BNF, Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Movement NDM and Bangladesh Congress.
In the second phase, the political parties invited are Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal JSD, Bangladesh Khilafat Movement, National People's Party-NPP, Jamiyat-e-Ulamaye Islam, Bangladesh, Islamic Front Bangladesh, Bangladesh Kalyan Party, Islami Oikya Jote, Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis, Islamic Andolan Bangladesh, Bangladesh Islamic Front, Khilafat Majlis and Bangladesh Muslim League-BML.
In the last phase, the 13 parties invited on June 28 are ruling Bangladesh Awami League, Bangladesh Tarikat Federation, Communist Party of Bangladesh-ML, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Liberal Democratic Party-LDP, Ganatantri Party, Workers Party of Bangladesh, Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasad, Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal-Basad, Bangladesh National Awami Party-Bangladesh NAP, Biplabi Workers Party of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Sanskritik Muktijote.