Allegations of irregularities cloud Dinajpur Taxes Bar Association election

Allegations of irregularities have emerged over the upcoming biennial election of the Dinajpur Taxes Bar Association, with a candidate demanding the resignation of the election commissioner and the announcement of a fresh election schedule.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, general secretary candidate Md Shahnewaz Firoz Shuvo alleged that the election process had been compromised through irregularities in the preparation of the voter list and the cancellation of nomination papers.

According to Shuvo, the association held its biennial general meeting on 13 June, after which Chief Election Commissioner Md Mehbub Hasan Chowdhury announced the election schedule on 6 July. A voter list was published on 11 July.

Shuvo alleged that the published voter list excluded the names of 32 members who were present at the general meeting on 13 June. He said written complaints were submitted both by post and in person, but no satisfactory explanation had been provided by the election commissioner.

He also questioned the rejection of nomination papers submitted by himself and three other candidates. Shuvo said that under amendments approved at the association's 2023 biennial general meeting, he submitted his nomination for the post of general secretary, while Md Abdul Hakim and Shree Dilip Chandra Pal filed nominations for the posts of joint secretary and treasurer respectively.

However, he alleged that their nominations were rejected on the basis of a notice dated 30 June, citing provisions of an amended constitution. According to Shuvo, no resolution approving such amendments had been shared with candidates, nor had any meeting been held to adopt the changes.

During the press conference, Shuvo also raised questions about the eligibility of his rival candidate, Molla Mohammad Shafayet Hossain. He claimed that Hossain had previously served two terms as joint secretary despite allegedly not meeting the minimum membership requirement under the association's constitution at the time.

Shuvo further alleged that the election commission nevertheless declared his rival eligible to contest.

Shuvo said he had received threats after protesting against the alleged irregularities and claimed that any harm to him should be the responsibility of the election commissioner.

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He added that a written complaint had also been submitted to the National Board of Revenue (NBR), seeking intervention over the alleged irregularities, but no action had yet been taken.

He concluded by calling for the resignation of the chief election commissioner and the publication of a fresh election schedule to ensure a fair and transparent election.

Repeated attempts to obtain a response from Chief Election Commissioner Md Mehbub Hasan Chowdhury were unsuccessful, and his comments could not be obtained before publication.