By election

In fact there have been reports in the newspapers that his supporters were being manhandled and cars used for the campaigning were damaged allegedly by the supporters of his opponent. Election Commission itself had assured him of taking steps to ensure security for his supporters after Mr Mannan lodged a complaint with the EC that his opponent, the ruling coalition candidate Mosaddek Ali Falu, was violating code of conduct. We appreciate EC's prompt move to ask its officials to take actions against those violating the codes, but those actions must be visible. One may recall that from its very inception Bikalpa Dhara was allowed little space to operate.

EC had to wait for a complaint to be lodged before taking any action, whereas it was there for all to see how opulent the campaign of Mannan's opponent has been not only after the official announcement of the nomination, but even before that. The elections are scheduled for June 6 so the EC has to take corrective measures immediately. Because for a free, fair and impartial election, all candidates should be allowed a level playing field.

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