Code breaches rising as election edging nearer

Reports of violations of the electoral code of conduct keep escalating from various corners of the country, as the 13th national parliament election is drawing closer.
According to an official consolidated statement, executive magistrates imposed fines amounting to Tk12,24,300 for breaches of election rules between January 8 and January 28, through mobile court operations conducted nationwide.
The public relation unit of the Bangladesh Election Commission revealed the figures in a statement issued to the media on Thursday.
The enforcement actions were carried out by executive magistrates in response to complaints as well as routine monitoring of campaign activities.
Report shows that 192 incidents of poll code violations were identified in 176 parliamentary constituencies, indicating widespread non-compliance as candidates and supporters intensified electioneering ahead of the February 12 national election.
Enforcement data shows a clear surge in electoral code violations in the final days before the polls.
From January 24 to 28, numbers of mobile courts conduced and poll code breaches detected and amount of fines imposed rose steadily.
The trend reflects intensified campaign activity and growing non-compliance as the election is coming closer.
During the drives, 119 cases were filed against individuals found guilty of breaching campaign rules, including unauthorised processions, misuse of campaign materials and crossing the spending limits.
A date-wise breakdown included in the statement details the number of mobile court operations, cases filed and fines collected each day, reflecting continuous field-level vigilance by the administration.

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