Govt asked to announce schedule for national elections soon

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Awami League (AL) and Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) jointly asked the government to immediately announce the schedule for national elections slated to be held in December.
AL presidium member Tofail Ahmed and CPB General Secretary Mujahidul Islam Selim said this at a joint briefing after a meeting with top leaders of both parties at AL acting president Zillur Rahman's Gulshan residence in the city Tuesday, report agencies.
Chaired by AL acting president Zillur Rahman, the meeting was attended, among others, by AL leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Suranjit Sengupta, Motia Chowdhury, Kazi Zafarullah and Syed Ashraful Islam, and CPB leaders Manjurul Ahsan Khan, MM Akash and Shahidullah Chowdhury.
The two parties came together on the day to work on 'common issues', with one party leader afterwards commenting that it was "irrelevant to speak of a coalition with Gano Forum and Bikalpadhara".
Tofail and Selim jointly said they had agreed on a number of issues, even though the parties held different ideals and views.
They said the caretaker government should not carry out any activity that hampers the parliamentary elections.
The leaders also expressed concern over detained AL chief Sheikh Hasina's health condition.
Asked whether there was any possibility of forming an alliance between the two parties ahead of the elections, Mujahid said: "CPB and AL remain in the same position on forming an alliance."
"We will work together on common issues", he said.
In reply to further questions, the CPB leader said: "It is irrelevant to speak of a coalition with Gano Forum and Bikalpadhara."
Tofail asked the government to lift the state of emergency as early as possible.
"The caretaker government has taken an oath in line with section 58 of the constitution."
"As per section 58 the government should hold elections immediately", he said.
The AL leader claimed: "The government has failed to accomplish anything, so far, in line with the roadmap."
"We hope the government will announce the schedule of the polls as soon as possible and will give priority to work concerned with the holding of elections."
However, in reply to a question, he said the government should "take proper measures against the parties backed by war criminals, anti liberation war forces and extremists."