Photo : Collected
The Election Commission (EC) relies on various law enforcement agencies to create a conducive environment for the upcoming 12th National Assembly elections. When necessary, members of the armed forces are also deployed. Therefore, the commission traditionally allocates a significant portion of its budget to this sector for every parliamentary election. This time is no exception. In fact, various political parties, including BNP, are urging for heightened involvement of various security forces to ensure that the election proceeds smoothly, without disruptions from various groups.
As a result, out of the total election budget of Tk 1500 crore, a substantial Tk 1100 crore will be allocated to this sector, which is nearly double the amount allocated in the previous election for the eleventh parliament. In the last election, 565 crore taka was allocated to this sector. However, if there is a need for further deployment of the armed forces to maintain order, the expenditure in this sector may increase even more.
Simultaneously, the Election Commission's expenses are rising in the realm of election management. The allowances for Polling Officers are also on the rise. In the past, they received a one-day allowance, but now they will be entitled to a two-day allowance. The Commission has made this decision in light of the ongoing inflationary pressures. Furthermore, there is an increase in the number of election officials. All in all, it is anticipated that the initially proposed budget may need to be expanded to accommodate these growing costs.
In this context, Election Commissioner Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath has indicated that the law enforcement agencies have requested a budget exceeding Tk 1,000 crore.
However, the commission will assess and approve the final budget allocation. Notably, the most substantial demand has been made by the police and the Ansar forces.
Debnath further mentioned that a total of Tk 1,445 crore has been earmarked for the parliamentary elections. Out of this budget, roughly two-thirds will be allocated for the maintenance of law and order, while the remaining one-third will be allocated for the actual conduct of the elections.
Ashok Kumar Debnath also suggested that the pre-announced budget for the 12th National Assembly elections may undergo an increase. He stated, "The budget for election management and law enforcement forces is developed jointly. We initially proposed a budget of Tk 1,445 crore; however, it has not been finalised as of now."
As per information from Election Commission sources, the various forces involved in maintaining law and order during elections submit demands related to fuel, allowances, and food to fulfill their electoral duties. The Election Commission then reviews these demands and allocates the necessary resources accordingly. These law and order forces typically include the police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Coast Guard, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Ansar, and village police appointed by the Election Commission. Additionally, the agency incurs expenses related to the armed forces and intelligence activities.
It has come to light that the law and order forces have collectively requested a budget of Tk 1,071 crore thus far. Among these forces, the police have made the largest financial request, seeking a sum of 430 crore 25 lakh taka. The Ansar forces have put forward a demand of 366 crore 12 lakh taka. Furthermore, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has asked for 145 crore 87 lakh taka, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has requested 50 crore 63 lakh taka, and the Coast Guard has sought 78 crore 62 lakh taka.
It's important to note that these budget demands may increase if additional armed forces are deployed for election-related security measures.
According to the EC, the demand of the police has not increased much in the 12th national parliament elections. The force has asked for 430 crore 25 lakh taka, in the 11th election the demand was 424 crore taka. The allocation was 129 crores and 57 lakh crore taka after slashing the demands. This time Ansar and VDP have asked for 366 crore 12 lakh taka. In the last election, this force got 242 crores and 80 lakhs of taka. BGB has asked for 145 crore 87 lakh taka. In the last election, BGB received Tk 78 crore 42 lakh. RAB asked for 50 crore 63 lakh taka in the 12th national parliament election; which was 22 crore 12 lakh taka in the last election. This time the Coast Guard has asked for Tk 78 crore 62 lakh, which was Tk. 25 crore in the last election. However, the Commission has not yet decided whether the army will be deployed or how it will be deployed. So this time the EC has not yet received the demand of the armed forces.
In the 11th National Assembly elections in 2018, approximately 565 crore taka were spent for maintaining law and order. During that election, there were 40,199 polling stations and 207,319 polling booths. Security for these polling stations and voters was provided by 608,000 members of various forces.
For the upcoming 12th parliament election, the number of voters has increased to 11 crore 96 lakh 91 thousand 633, and the number of polling stations has risen to 42,103. It is estimated that around 10 lakh polling officers will be required to manage this election. Consequently, the number of law and order forces will also need to increase, which is likely to lead to an increase in the overall election expenditure.
Allowances for polling officers have seen an increase in the 12th National Assembly Elections. Previously, they received a one-day allowance, but this time, they will be entitled to a two-day allowance. Specifically, the presiding officer will receive 8,000 taka, the assistant presiding officer will receive 6,000 taka, and the polling officer will receive 4,000 taka. According to EC officials, these increased allowances, in addition to expenses related to law and order forces, as well as election management, will contribute to higher expenditure in various sectors.
The Election Commission has decided to double the allowances for approximately 9 lakh presiding, assistant presiding, and polling officials compared to the previous election. Furthermore, each official will receive an additional 1,000 taka for travel expenses. This increased allowance for polling officers alone has resulted in a rise of 280 crore taka in election expenditures. Additionally, the potential expenses in the election management sector are estimated to exceed 1,000 crore taka, and another 135 crore taka are allocated for electoral training.
Besides, another 135 crore taka is being spent on electoral training.
The Election Commission said that the schedule of the 12th National Assembly elections can be announced within this week (today or tomorrow). And the parliamentary elections will be held by the end of December to the first week of January.
Messenger/Disha
