Polls preparations Mash Allah very good: Jahangir

Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said that preparations for the upcoming national election are Mashallah “very good,” and that all necessary steps are being taken to ensure a fair, credible, and festive electoral environment.

He made the remarks while speaking to journalists after a meeting of the Law-and-Order Advisory Council Committee at the Secretariat on Monday, December 8.

Responding to a question, he said, “Election preparations are Mashallah very good. All security forces continue their training, and we will inspect the quality of that training. We expect it to conclude within January. Every required measure for a fair, acceptable, and vibrant election is being implemented.”

Jahangir noted that voting will run from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm this time. Areas without electricity have been instructed to arrange alternatives. He also confirmed that body cameras will be used during the election.

Addressing the recent killing of a freedom fighter and his wife in Rangpur, he said, “Instructions have already been issued to bring the perpetrators under the law at any cost.”

On the rise of violent incidents ahead of the election, he said, “Incidents happen, I won’t deny that. And I can’t claim everything will stop before the election. If I had a magic switch to turn off such incidents, I would. But no such magic exists.”

Responding to concerns about whether the election will actually take place, he said, “It’s not only you (journalists) whose doubts I can’t dispel. I am one person; you are thousands. You are the ones who shape public perception about the election.”

Regarding the Jatiya Party’s allegation that law enforcement is preventing them from campaigning, he responded, “Who exactly is being stopped? Everyone is in the field; they are the ones heating it up. Claims alone don’t reflect the reality. Some simply choose not to leave their homes.”

TT/MHK/NMA