The Election Commission (EC) has completed all the preparations for the upcoming 12th National Assembly elections.
EC officials say the list of polling stations and voter lists are ready. The nomination papers have been printed and the system of submission of nomination papers has been prepared. The return officer appointment is also placed on the table. The ballot box has all the materials to start from the ballot box.
Although the date is not specified, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) is also in charge of the same. Other election commissioners said the schedule will be announced this week, in this case, the field administration officials are getting the appointment of the returning officer. The election commissioners have also given the same message in the training program of the DC, Superintendent of Police (SP).
Although the entire polling process is held under the overall supervision of the Election Commission, the organization handes over all the voting rights to the Returning Officer to the prescribed basis of the law, so the authority of the election is in the hands of the returning officers.
According to the Representation of the People Act, EC can appoint 300 Returning Officers for 300 seats, so one can appoint one person for two or more seats, but there is no plan to recruit 300 Returning Officers for 300 seats.
EC sources know that if they want to appoint separate returning officers for all the seats, they have to hire officers of the same rank as DCs from other government departments. In this case, they cannot keep the urge to do so in a large public-oriented work like the DCs, and they cannot be involved in the election. So the organization is not bringing the discussion to the fore, but the DCs are being considered.
EC Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath said in this Bish, the idea of a return officer for each seat is not in line with the culture of this country. Because the District Commissioner has all the powers of the field, which the officials of other departments do not get, so it is difficult for them to bring the election.
In the newly held DC-SP's election training program, the Election Commission has also given instructions to the DCs to prepare in the same way. In the program held on November 10, CEC Kazi Habibul said to the DCs, our final chao, the main demand is that the voter's freedom of voting should not be disrupted.
The CEC also said that the key officers are the Superintendent of Police and DC, but they play a very important role in the elections, if they have a coherence in the election, if the power is the power and power power, then they will show power and power.
Election Commissioner. Ahsan Habib Khan said, "After the announcement of the schedule, you represent us in the field level. You are our trusted representatives in the field level. Those of you who will be the returning officers will select the presiding officers, assistant presiding officers, polling officers. They will be trained, you will motivate them."
Election Commissioner Rasheda Sultana said, "The returnee officers will be appointed by the returnee officers who will be the returning officers, and you will be very vigilant in this poison, how they are working inside."
Election Commissioner Anichur Rahman said, "The election is nearing only once a week will be scheduled. You know how to conduct the election. We also know how to conduct the election. If there is a difference or gap between which there is a gap in the matter, it will be discussed or informed."
So far, the administration is far from its own officials, the EC has not appointed any officials of other departments of the government as returning officers but one-eleven Samssul Huda Commission has appointed the EC's own Deputy Secretary in the city corporation elections for the first time in the city corporation elections.
Since then, the EC has been appointing its own officials in various by-elections of the Parliament, so the officials of the organization want the merit, but this is not only the officials, but also the Sudhijans have also come to the dialogue with the EC in a dialogue with various parties.
KM Nurul Huda commission appointed 66 Returning Officers for 300 seats in the 11th National Assembly Elections 2018. That was the same 64 Deputy Commissioners and two Divisional Commissioners were given this dutima.
The assistant returning officers were 581, including 492 upazila executive officers, 23 assistant commissioners (land), 10 additional district administrators, eight district election officers, three upazila election officers, one law officers, one law officer, and other government departments.
What is in the law
According to Article 7(1) of the Representation of the People Act, the Commission shall appoint a Returning Officer for the purpose of selecting a member from each constituency; and a person may be appointed as Returning Officer for two or more constituencies.
The Commission may appoint the required number of Assistant Returning Officers, but no Assistant Returning Officer can be appointed for more than one constituency.
The Assistant Returning Officer will assist the Returning Officer in the performance of his duties and may exercise and perform the powers of the Returning Officer under the control of the Returning Officer subject to the conditions imposed by the Commission.
The Returning Officer may perform all the necessary functions and matters for conducting an election effectively as per the Rules of the Representation of the People Act and Election Management.
On the other hand, it is said in Article 9(1) of the People's Representation Act that the Returning Officer will request him to provide a list of officers and employees of the grade that he will mention to prepare the panel of the presiding officer, assistant presiding officer and polling officer of the concerned district through written notice.
After the panel is ready, the Returning Officer will send a copy of the panel to the offices, institutions and organizations which have been included in the list to the heads of the officials and employees with a request to place their jobs under the control of the commission and also send a copy of the panel to the commission.
The Returning Officer shall appoint the number of Assistant Presiding Officers and Polling Officers from the panel to assist a Presiding Officer and Presiding Officer from the panel for each polling station, provided that a person is employed or at any time in the service of a candidate, he shall not be appointed as a presiding officer, assistant presiding officer or polling officer.
twelfth The number of voters in the parliamentary elections is 11 crore 96 lakh 91 thousand 633 people and the polling stations are 42 thousand 103. In this case, there will be a total of 1 million polling officers, whom the returning officers will employ.
The EC has already received the President's consent to announce the election schedule in the first week of January from the end of December. The CEC's address to the nation may be recorded in the next few days, where the polls will be held.
The first meeting of the 19th National Assembly will be held on 30th of January 2019.
