Dhaka, Oct 25—BNP-backed mayor aspirant Taimur Alam Khandaker has angrily dismissed the Election Commission's first-ever televised debate soon after it ended.
He told journalists that the primetime debate was organised to give the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) 'legitimacy.'
"It's been waste of the candidates' time," he maintained.
All other five candidates, however, told reporters waiting outside the Narayanganj Club that they were 'satisfied' with the pre-election debate.
Election commissioner Shakhawat Hossain, in an instant reaction, also expressed his satisfaction over the debate.
Taimur has altogether opposed the use of EVMs in the Narayanganj City Corporation in the debate when his rivals Ivy preferred it in three instead of nine wards and Shamim was all for it.
The one and a half hour-long debate was broadcast live from an open stage by state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar and webcast by bdnews24.com from 8.30pm.
bdnews24.com editor-in-chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi moderated the war of words.
During the debate, Taimur said he had been rejecting outright the use of EVMs from the 'very beginning'.
He argued: "If one buys the person who controls the EVM display, he can manipulate the results."
"It (EVMs) will also slow down the vote casting process," he further said.
Taimur claimed the Election Commission threatened to cancel his candidacy for protesting against the EVMs.
However, the Oct 30 election's assistant returning officer Farhad Hossain contested Taimur's claim during the debate.
He said it would take 20 to 30 seconds to cast each vote in the EVM system.
"It will never slow down the (voting) process," he said and invited all candidates to see the EVMs in nine wards during the election.
EVMs were introduced first in the Chittagong City Corporation election last year.
From:www.bdnews24.com
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