Dhaka: Though the outgoing Election Commission headed by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad began its five-year journey with arrangements of fair and peaceful elections in Bangladesh in its first two years, it failed to live up to public expectations in its last three years for 'losing control over elections', said political observers.

Starting the five-year tenure in February 2012, they said, the commission updated the country's voter list, arranged the maiden election to Rangpur City Corporation and backtracked from the use of electronic voting machines (EVM) to shun 'controversy'.

In 2013, this commission arranged elections to five city corporations, demarcated 87 constituencies out of the country's 300 ones, but the delimitation of the constituencies drew criticisms from different quarters.

The EC arranged the 10th parliamentary elections on January 5, 2014 that went largely uncontested amid boycott by BNP and its allies.

It arranged the 4th upazila elections in 2014, elections to three city corporations - Dhaka South City Corporation, Dhaka North City Corporation and Chittagong City Corporation- on a single day and municipal elections in 2015, as well as staggered Union Parishad election, Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) polls and district council election in 2016.

But all the polls except the NCC ones were marred by violence and irregularities, according to the political observers.

They said the Rakibuddin-led EC has failed to live up to the public expectation as it failed to exercise its legal authority to arrange the elections in free and fair manner.

"It'll be difficult to say this outgoing election commission has been successful in meeting people's expectations. They not only failed to arrange free, fair and participatory elections, but also could not apply their legal authority in some cases," Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Dr Iftekharuzzaman he told news agency UNB.

Noting that there were two reasons behind the EC's failure, Iftekharuzzaman said they took measures ignoring their own power and they could not overcome the deficit in their leadership quality.

He, however, said the recently held Narayanganj City Corporation election proved that only a strong EC is not enough for the arrangement of a free and fair election, but other stakeholders are also important here. "Though other stakeholders are important, a strong, neutral and competent election commission is indispensable for conducting a fair and free election," the TIB executive director said.

Former caretaker government adviser M Hafizuddin Khan said, "This commission has totally failed as it couldn't apply its power. The commission worked as a subservient body."

He said Rangpur City Corporation election held in 2012 was the first major election under this commission, which was peaceful though BNP and its ally Jamaat did not join it.

The elections to five cities held in 2013 were also peaceful in which BNP clinched all the five mayoral posts of the cities.

The six-phase upazila election held in 2014 was marred by violence and irregularities. In 2015, the elections to DSCC, DNCC and CCC were peaceful but tainted by anomalies. Besides, the 2015 municipal election, held for the first time along the political party line, was marred by anomalies in some places, according to the political observers.

The 2016 Union Council elections, held along the party line for the first time, was one of the most violence-hit one in the country's history as over a hundred people were killed in the election violence.

According to Shujan, a non-government organisation, 10 people were killed in 2011 UC election, while the death toll was 23 in 2003 and 31 in 1997 UC election.

The EC arranged elections to over 4,100 UCs, but the chairman posts in some 220 UCs went uncontested. AL chairman candidates were elected in 65 percent UCs, while BNP chairman contestants in nine percent UCs.