EC raises security deposits for UP candidates

The Election Commission (EC) has raised the security deposits required for candidates contesting union parishad (UP) elections and introduced several other changes to the poll rules, according to a gazette notification issued on 16 September.
Under the revised rules, the security deposit for a chairman candidate has been increased from Tk5,000 to Tk25,000, while that for a member candidate has risen from Tk1,000 to Tk5,000.
Candidates will now need a higher vote share to reclaim their deposits. A candidate who fails to secure at least 15% of votes cast will forfeit the deposit, up from the earlier one-eighth threshold.
The upcoming UP elections will be held on a non-party basis, following amendments removing party symbols from the rules. The EC has reserved 20 symbols for chairman candidates, 12 for general members and 10 for reserved-seat members, including computer, banana bunch, horse and peacock for chairman posts, and camel, kite and football for general members.
The revised rules also empower the EC to cancel a candidate's candidature for violating election rules, and to suspend results from polling centres found to be severely biased due to force, intimidation or manipulation. The commission may order a fresh vote where necessary.
A new provision penalises anyone obstructing media workers on election duty, with punishment of up to two years in jail, a Tk10,000 fine, or both.
The election expenditure ceiling for chairman candidates has been doubled from Tk5 lakh to Tk10 lakh, while the limit for member candidates remains unchanged at Tk2 lakh.