Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party has expressed concern over the recruitment of government officials as returning officers in Election Commission ahead of municipal elections across the country.

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a press briefing on Thursday said, ‘Election Commission has recruited some deputy commissioners, additional deputy commissioners and Upazila Nirbahi Officers as returning officers. But in fact there is no manpower crisis in Election Commission secretariat.’

‘People are already concerned at the politicisation of public administration by mass recruitment of ruling party activists as public servants. People have already conceived that the enrolment of government officials in EC is nothing but a covert ambition of the government to rig the forthcoming elections,’ he added while addressing the briefing following a BNP standing committee meeting at BNP chairperson’s office at Gulshan in Dhaka on Thursday night.   

BNP leaders discussed the present political situation of the country in the meeting, chaired by the party chairperson Khaleda Zia.

They also discussed political tactics in municipal elections, said Mirza Fakhrul.

BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed, ASM Hannan Shah, Gaweshwar Chandra Roy, Mahbubur Rahman, Abdul Moin Khan, Zamir Uddin Sircar, among others, were present at the meeting.