Dhaka: Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz on Thursday said the Election Commission will show zero tolerance in case of any anomaly during the municipal polls slated for 30 December.

‘We’ll take stern action and spare none... we’ll show zero tolerance to all anomalies,’ he told reporters at his Election Commission Secretariat office.

Pointing at the EC’s 48-hour ultimatum to remove posters and banners by the aspirants from their areas, he said if posters and banners are not removed within the given time, the aspirants concerned will have shoulder the responsibility.

‘If they try to contest without removing the posters and banners, their candidature even may be cancelled,’ Shah Nawaz said.

He said the Election Commission has incorporated necessary provisions in the new election rules and code of conduct for the municipal polls to ensure a level-playing field for all political parties so that they can carry out their electioneering smoothly and equally.

Replying to a question, Shah Nawaz said each political party can give nomination to a single candidate in every municipality. ‘If a party nominates more than one candidate, the nomination papers of all candidates of the party will be cancelled as per the election rules.’

He asked the intending candidates to fill out their nomination papers carefully following the election laws to avert rejection.

Meanwhile, an EC press release on Thursday said no political party or aspirant will be allowed to begin electioneering three weeks before the election to 236 municipalities out of the country’s 323 ones.

On Tuesday, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad at a press briefing announced the election schedule for 234 municipalities. Subsequently, polls schedule for two more municipalities were declared.

During filing out nomination paper, every political party-nominated mayoral aspirant will have to submit testimonial of his or her respective party’s president or general secretary or the person holding equivalent posts or the authorized person, the EC release said.

The political parties willing to participate in the elections have been asked to send names, posts and signatures of the authorised persons to the Returning Officers and the Election Commission within five days of the announcement of the election schedule.