EC blames political parties for UZ polls violence

Election Commissioner (EC) Mohammad Abdul Mobarak on Saturday blamed the direct involvement of political parties for the violence in the first three phases of upazila (UZ) elections though the polls are non-partisan legally. “According to the law, political parties are not supposed to be involved in these non-partisan upazila elections. But the reality is different. They’re directly involved and contesting the polls,” he said. Mobarak, who is now performing the duty of the Chief Election Commissioner was briefing reporters at the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat on Saturday afternoon ahead of Sunday’s voting in 91 upazila parishads across 43 districts. He also alleged that political parties from their central offices instigate their respective candidates and activists to ensure victory at any cost, which leads to violence in the staggered upazila polls, according to a news agency.