EC sticks to EVM, army deployment stance in polls

The Election Commission (EC) has formally issued a letter in reply to the communiqué sent by the main opposition BNP, clarifying the poll panel's position in favour of using electronic voting machines and non-deployment of army in the upcoming Comilla City Corporation elections, reports bdnews24.com. "The answer of the letter has been sent through a messenger," senior assistant-secretary of the EC secretariat Farhad Hossain confirmed it on Sunday. The EC letter also urged the BNP to lend a helping hand in holding a free and fair election, he said. According the election schedule, Comilla City Corporation will go to the polls on Jan 5. Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda has already said that EVMs would be used at all polling centres but the army would not be deployed, triggering consternation in the opposition party. A letter signed by BNP acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir demanding army deployment and opposing the move to use EVMs was delivered to the EC by a representative group on Tuesday.