BNP for immediate dialogue with EC

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Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) submitted Monday a letter to the Election Commission (EC) calling for arranging their overdue dialogue forthwith for a meaningful pre-election discussion, reports UNB.
"We hope that you will soon arrange a dialogue for taking a meaningful and fruitful decision," says the letter addressed to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda.
The ball started rolling past a standoff as BNP chairperson and former Premier Khaleda Zia was set free from prison a few days back following a latest change of wind over the country's political arena stricken by a recent crisis over election issues.
After receiving the latter from a BNP delegation at the EC Secretariat, the CEC said the Commission would announce at the same time specific dates for all elections on completion of dialogue with this party.
Dr Huda expressed the hope that the dialogue would be held within this week and then the Commission would declare particular dates for the national polls as well as Dhaka City Corporation and upazila elections.
"We intend to announce specific dates for all elections at the same time," he told reporters replying to a question.
The BNP letter, signed by party joint secretary general Nazrul Islam Khan on behalf of secretary general Khandker Delwar Hossain, was handed over to the CEC by Nazrul Islam Khan and office secretary Rizvi Ahmed.
In the letter BNP wrote: "It was not clear in the EC letter to BNP the whole matters regarding the general election in reply to our letter sent on September 7."
"The voter list ordinance 2007, the voter list rules 2008 and delimitation of the parliamentary constituencies mentioned, which were not discussed with the political parties, are not consistent with our proposed whole discussion," it said. "We think that it's necessary to remove the confusion and the disagreements about these matters," said the immediate-past ruling party that had previously boycotted their sessions of the EC dialogue with political parties through which the revised politico - electoral rules were formulated.
The BNP stated that the election laws, rules and even the constitution to some extent might need to be amended to implement the ordinances and rules promulgated by the (caretaker) government and the election commission, which was not possible at this moment.
"So, discussion is essential to reach an acceptable, realistic and constructive solution after deeply reviewing such matters," the party proposed to the Election Commission.