Bangladesh uses EVMs for first time in general election
Dhaka, Dec 30 : Bangladesh Sunday deployed electronic voting machines for the first time in a general election, though only on a limited scale, a move which received mixed responses from the voters amid reports of glitches in some booths.
Out of the 299 parliamentary constituencies that went to polls, six saw the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs), a regular feature in neighbouring India since decades ago.
Voting for the 11th national election began with the machines being used in the six seats selected through lottery. These are: Dhaka-6, Dhaka-13, Chattogram-9, Rangpur-3, Khulna-2 and Satkhira-2. The six seats comprises over 2.1 million voters. The results from these six seats could be announced within hours after the voting ends, Bangladeshi media reported.
Electronic voting machines created problems across different voting centres in Dhaka-13 and Dhaka-6, slowing down voting process and leading to long queues, the Daily Star newspaper reported.
Voters in some areas have reported facing trouble when the machines could not recognise their fingerprints, BDnews24.com reported.
Dhaka-13 voter Jagat Dashi Mondol, a septuagenarian, was smiling as she came out of the polling centre at Mohammadpur's Borabo Government Primary School.
When asked about how she felt using an EVM, said, "easy, very easy."
The polling centre's Presiding Officer Jayanta Chandra Deb said he replaced three EVMs when they stopped working.
Nazrul Islam, a retired engineer, said his fingerprint was not matching when he went to vote at the polling centre in Lalmatia Mohila College.
"But I got to vote using my voter ID. It didn't take much time."
Gazi Hossain, a former librarian of Lalmatia Mohila College, was unhappy with the EVM because of the time wasted in trying to match his fingerprint in the machine. "It wasn't matching, so it took more time, that's a problem," he said.
Bimal Chandra, a retired teacher, voted using EVM at the Mohammadpur Chand Community Centre.
"I just pressed two buttons on the EVM. One on the poll symbol, then another on a green button. It takes roughly ten seconds. It takes more time to be marked on the thumb with ink.
"It takes just 20 minutes to count the votes from EVM centres. This is good," said Chandra.
On December 27, the Election Commission organised mock voting at selected polling centres to educate voters on how to use EVMs.
The EVM technology is being used for the first time at the national election level, eight years after being introduced in local government elections in the country.
The machines were first used in the Chittagong City Corporation election of June 2010. However, the Election Commission stopped using the technology in 2015 due to some errors. The machines were later reintroduced in the Rangpur City Corporation election in 2016.
During this year's city corporation polls, EVMs were used in three polling centres in Khulna City Corporation with 10,000 voters; two centres in Sylhet City Corporation with 5,413 voters; 11 centres in Barishal City Corporation with 25,000 voters; and two centres in Rajshahi City Corporation with 3,383 voters, the Daily Star reported.
During the Election Commission's electoral dialogues, most of the 40 registered parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party of former premier Khalida Zia and its allies, opposed the idea of using EVMs in the election.
However, five political parties, including the ruling Awami League of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, its allies Workers Party of Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal faction led by Hasanul Haq Inu and Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal (M-L) and Zaker Party supported the use of EVMs.
The BNP has all along been opposing the EC move, alleging that this might facilitate "the government's plan for election engineering".
The Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory (BMTF) imported parts of the EVMs and assembled them in Bangladesh ahead of the general election, media reports said.
"The EVM fingerprint scanner will be imported from America while Apple will supply the monitors. Other parts of the EVM machine will be imported from different countries," the Dhaka Tribune quoted Brig Gen Mohammad Saidul Islam, director general of the Election Commission's National Identity Registration Wing, as saying in September.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
BJP accuses Karnataka govt of 'failing' to prevent noise pollution caused by 'azaan'
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): Members of the Opposition BJP on Tuesday slammed the Karnataka government for not taking measures to prevent the alleged noise pollution caused by 'azaan', the Islamic call to prayer.
BJP MLC D S Arun raised the issue in the Legislative Council during the question hour, accusing the ruling Congress of "appeasement" by failing to take action against mosques that are violating the Supreme Court's directives.
Karnataka Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar Khandre, responding to the question, said, as per the directives of the Supreme Court in sensitive zones, the noise level should not exceed 50 decibels during the day and 40 decibels at night, and in residential areas, 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night.
In commercial areas, the noise should not exceed 65 decibels during the day, 55 at night, and in industrial areas, 75 during the day and at night 70 decibels, he said.
Pointing out that the Karnataka government had issued an order in 2022, assigning responsibility to a committee headed by a DySPs or ACPs for the effective implementation of the rules, the minister said when a complaint is received about noise pollution, the Pollution Control Board will inspect it and provide information about the decibel level to the police to take further action, including filing of criminal cases.
ALSO READ: Udupi: Toddler slips from mother's hand while drawing water from well, dies
"Not only during azaan, but also during bhajans held in temples and marriage events, among others, the violations happen. There is a need to spread awareness. The Supreme Court has ordered against bursting firecrackers, but it is being violated. Efforts will be made to implement the rules effectively," he said.
Several BJP MLAs, including Arun, Bharathi Shetty, among others, were not satisfied with the minister's reply. They took strong exception to it.
Arun noted that in the last three years, only 52 cases have been taken, and said there are clear violations by almost all mosques, but no action has been taken. "The decibels have in fact increased under this government. The government is giving protection to them."
Reacting to this, Khandre, calling it a "sensitive matter", said, "It is not right to politicise the issue. The law of this land is equal for everyone."
Hitting back, Arun asked, "Why is the matter sensitive? What is preventing you (the government) from implementing the Supreme Court directives?"
