Apparently turning down BNP’s demand, the chief election commissioner (CEC) today claimed that the situation has not come to the point that requires army deployment for the municipal polls.

“We have kept monitoring the situation…we will take all necessary steps to ensure congenial atmosphere so that everybody can go to polling stations without any hassle,” he told reporters this evening.

CEC Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad came up with the comment while talking to reporters at the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat this evening.

Earlier in the afternoon, a six-member delegation of BNP headed by its standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan met the CEC and once again demanded army deployment at the polling areas to remove fear from people as it claimed election related violence has increased over the last two weeks.

A six-member delegation of BNP led by Abdul Moyeen Khan met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed at his office and made the demand for army deployment during upcoming municipality polls. Photo: TV grab

"We have placed the demand before the CEC so that everybody can go to polling centres without fears. If army is deployed, people will feel relieved," Khan told reporters after the meeting.

The BNP-nominated candidates are facing harassment and torture from two sides -- firstly from the administration, and secondly from the ruling party men, he said.

As elections for mayoral posts are being held under party banners, torture and repression have increased this time over the last two weeks, he viewed

"We are in fear that BNP will not get level-playing field in the municipality polls," he claimed.