Polling agents of political parties should be arrested six months before or after the national elections if they are guilty of any crime, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal said today (4 October).

Speaking at a workshop at the Election Commission Building in the capital's Agargaon, Awal said, "We will repeatedly inform the government that if they have to arrest them [polling agents], arrest them six months before the election or after it. The election should not become questionable. In that case we [the EC] would become tainted too."

He said the names of polling agents are usually kept secret by the parties and informed in the morning of the election day so that the agents can reach polling centres safely.

"They give us names of 100-150 people. If later we see that all 150 people have already been arrested then we get a negative impression…Why were they not arrested a month ago? Why were they not arrested two months ago? Why were they arrested the day before the polls?"

The CEC said the Election Commission wanted to conduct the election honestly and sincerely.

"We have not taken this responsibility to favour any party."

Previously, ahead of the national elections in December 2018, police arrested thousands of opposition leaders and activists.

About 7,000 activists and leaders of the opposition were arrested since the election schedule was announced in November 2018, Al Jazeera reported citing a statement from the then main opposition Jatiya Oikya Front.

Also, in the week before the polls in December 2018, police arrested more than 10,500 opposition activists in Bangladesh, Voice of America reported citing leaders of the opposition parties.