Staff Reporter: Due to the negligence and whims of the Election Commission of the Bangladeshi American Association of Connecticut (BAAC), one of the leading Bangladeshi organizations in the US state of Connecticut, the unfinished counting of votes in the September 12 polls has been postponed for another day. The unfinished vote count was scheduled for Monday (September 13) evening. It is learned that the counting of votes has been delayed for another day as the ballot boxes deposited at the police station have not been returned.
Baac’s biennial polling took place last Sunday (September 12) at four polling stations throughout the day. Out of about four and half thousand voters, only 1,573 voted this time. After the counting of votes continued from Sunday evening to midnight, the Election Commission abruptly suspended the counting of votes for unknown reasons. Kazi Belal Shajahan, the head of the Election Commission, could not explain the exact reason why the counting of votes was postponed. The ballot box deposited at the Manchester police station could not be retrieved when the delay arrived at the police station on Monday to return it. As a result, if the ballot box is recovered on Tuesday (September 14) at the right time, the unfinished votes will be counted.
The Nurul-Humayun parishad is leading in the center at Stamford with votes counted until midnight on Sunday. On the other hand, it has been reported that Tamim-Mamun Parishad is ahead in Bridgeport and Wallingford Center. In this situation, the Election Commission suddenly suspended the counting of votes after midnight for an unknown reason. After this decision, one of them took the initiative to take the ballot box to the house of the Election Commission. It was stopped in the face of opposition protests. Eventually countless boxes were kept at the Manchester Police Station as decided by both parties. What is the reason behind the postponement of the counting of votes in the election of Baac to the Chief of the Election Commission Kazi Belal Shajahan on the telephone of the American media Bangla Press on Monday morning 13 September? When asked, he said in one word, if the results were announced, everyone would know. The reason for the postponement of the vote count is that it cannot be told to me (the media). And did not want to talk long. It was not immediately clear when the recount would begin. They did not address the electorate via email or social media after the vote was suspended.
Meanwhile, many have also made negative comments on the sudden decision of the Election Commission of (BAAC). Doubts have arisen among the expatriates about the neutrality of the Election Commission. Despite the objections, for the convenience of the expatriate candidates in Chattogram, the Election Commission of Chattogram appointed the Expatriate Election Commission of Chattogram to Stamford, which is inhabited by Chattogram expatriates. He also started counting the votes of that center before in the case of counting the votes.
Note that after the appointment of Kazi Belal Shajahan as the Commissioner in the biennial election of the Bangladeshi American Association of Connecticut (BAAC) on 13 May 2017, the Chief Election Commissioner he resigned alleging opacity against Dr. Golam Chowdhury Iqbal. How he got the responsibility of the Election Commission even after his resignation is a question for many ordinary voters. This time there was also talk about the transparency of the election under his leadership.
BP/SM
