The army will be deployed for the upcoming by-election just as it was for the national parliamentary election, Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah has said. He expressed his commitment to holding a smooth election by applying even more advanced technology, alongside what was used in the national election. He also said the army and all relevant law enforcement agencies would play an active role in the by-election.
EC Sanaullah shared this information with reporters after an inter-ministerial meeting at the Election Building in Agargaon on Thursday (September 17). He said a unanimous decision was reached at a meeting held with various stakeholders on local government elections, particularly union parishad elections. All participants agreed that the union parishad elections must be completed before June of next year.
He said several practical challenges had come up regarding organising the election. The disruption this year’s floods caused to primary and secondary education is still being felt, with educational institutions still trying to recover from that damage. As a result, those involved in education have requested the commission ensure examination activities are not disrupted in any way. Referring to teachers’ and education staff’s role in elections, the commissioner said a teacher is typically needed for at least a week for training coordination and election duties. Alongside this, care is also being taken to ensure teachers’ answer-script evaluation and exam preparation work is not hindered. The commission considers these concerns entirely reasonable and has assured they will be properly addressed.
On announcing an election schedule, EC Sanaullah said the commission would quickly complete budget planning and other related coordination or sideline work. Once necessary coordination at the staff and secretarial level is completed, the final date will be announced once determined at a commission meeting. While the commission has not yet announced a specific start date for the UP elections, it reiterated that the completion deadline remains before June 6 next year. The commission is currently discussing the union parishad election as a priority, though other elections due under the law will also be held on schedule when their time comes.
On the difficulty of finding a suitable election window, the commissioner laid out a detailed picture of the schedule. He said finding time is extremely difficult because various levels of examinations run throughout November and December. Although January offers some open time, the holy month of Ramadan begins around February 7 or 8. The SSC examination begins just one day after Ramadan ends. On the other hand, there is some window between the end of the SSC exam and the start of the HSC exam on June 6. Given this extremely tight schedule, the commission continues its internal review of how to coordinate all these processes.
Asked whether the Election Commission was backing away from its earlier initial plan, Commissioner Sanaullah firmly denied this. Referring to the impact of media reports, he clarified that what was said earlier was a tentative plan drawn up in light of preparatory meetings. It had already been determined in advance that a final decision would be made after analysing all data following the coordination meeting on the 17th. He firmly stated that the commission had not shifted from its earlier position in the slightest. The final decision and schedule will be determined through a commission meeting after reviewing the data received.