The Election Commission today directed returning officials to provide ballot papers for the January 7 national elections to all polling stations, except those in rural and difficult-to-reach locations, on election day morning.
Today, the EC issued a circular in this regard. It is the first time the commission has asked for ballot papers to reach at polling stations on the morning of election day.
According to the circular, the date of delivery of ballot papers to polling centers in hilly, haor, baor, char, or island locations, or areas far from district or upazila headquarters or urban areas, should be determined by the ROs.
Respective Returning officers must establish plans for distributing ballot papers on election day morning and have them authorized by the Election Commission by December 31, 2023.
During parliamentary elections, ballot boxes usually arrive to polling locations in the afternoon or evening before the polling day. On the previous day, presiding officers and law enforcement authorities delivered ballot papers to voting locations.
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal told reporters at the EC office in the capital, "As far as possible, the ballots will reach on the morning of polling day."
The polling agents will be there to ensure that the polling boxes are empty and that the ballot papers arrive at the polling location in the morning, he added.
On asking why the EC has taken this step, "There was demand for this from many, and this will increase transparency."
EC officials said that they took the steps of sending the ballots on polling day morning to avoid "allegations or controversy" about voting taking place at night instead of on polling day.
Opposition parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), claimed that ballots were packed at numerous voting centers the night before the election on December 30, 2018.
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