Election watchdog EOS flags 7,000 polling stations as vulnerable

The Election Observer Society (EOS), the country’s largest coalition of Election Commission (EC)-registered local observation groups, has flagged nearly 7,000 polling stations across the country as "vulnerable" ahead of the 13th National Parliament election.
In a press conference held at the Shafiqul Kabir Auditorium of the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) on Saturday, EOS presented a comprehensive report on the national election environment. 
The report reveals that 103 of these high-risk centres are located within the Dhaka district alone.  According to information from their local observers, 6,995 centres out of 42,000 have been identified as vulnerable.
They said that most voters in the country are eager to exercise their right to vote. Speakers at the programme said, “With well-planned preparations, EOS has deployed 55,000 observers against over 42,000 centres, which means fewer than two observers are assigned to each centre.”
They noted that these observers are working entirely on a voluntary basis, without any financial assistance because election-related government offices have not responded to the repeated requests to cover even the minimal costs for three days of food and transportation. 
The process of issuing observer identity cards, switching between online and offline formats, has caused extreme hardship. Even though the EC helps with offline requests, observers in many districts still face harassment and problems getting their cards, the observation group said.
Md Iqbal Hossain Hira, president of EOS, presented the data and delivered the keynote address at the press conference. 
The organisation's Chief Coordinator Shahidul Islam Appi, General Secretary Mohiuddin Amin, Senior Vice President Ferdous Ahmed, Vice President Bashir Ahmed, and other leaders of the central committee attended the function.