Mystery also hangs over the much-talked-about budget as neither the EC nor its secretariat agreed to disclose the total amount or any details of the budget sent to the finance ministry.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) MA Aziz said yesterday the government is bound to provide the EC with whatever amount of money is needed to discharge its responsibilities, including preparation of a voter list.

But still rigid on his position, Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman yesterday put some conditions for fresh allocation, saying it is his duty to see how public money is being spent. Saifur on Tuesday asked about the EC expenditure of the previous fund and refused to allocate fresh fund for the task of updating the voter list.

Apparently annoyed by the finance minister's repeated refusal, the CEC said the EC is a constitutional body and preparation of the voter list is its constitutional duty.

"As per rules, we sent our budget proposal to the government, not to any person. The government must allocate the money needed by the Election Commission, no matter whatever the amount," Aziz told reporters.

The CEC declined to specify the amount in the proposed budget but said, "Of course, we will get the money, otherwise how will the task be done?"

The finance ministry earlier allocated about Tk 60 crore for the preparation of the voter list. The EC on May 3 published its controversial draft voter list spending Tk 43 crore. The Supreme Court later declared the draft electoral roll illegal.

There are allegations of misusing the allocated fund.

"The Election Commission will have to justify the money allocated earlier. No money will be disbursed unless it provides accounts to the point about the expenditure," Saifur told reporters. "It is people's money, the tax payers' money, and it is my constitutional duty to see if the money is being spent properly," he said.

"We will examine the accounts of the previous expenditure and then decide about further allocation," he added.

Meanwhile, the finance minister's refusal has created new trouble for the EC, hampering the preparatory work prior to the updating task as the assistant officers expressed doubts over the success of the whole process.

The field level election officials said it would be difficult for them to begin the task by visiting door to door from Friday properly as the finance minister's refusal has made the situation "very adverse".

Talking to reporters about the latest situation, Secretary to the EC Secretariat Abdur Rashid Sarkar said if anybody creates any obstacle to discharging the EC's constitutional duties, he will be responsible for the consequences.

"We hope the finance ministry will grant money for the sake of people and the nation," he said.

Asked if the EC Secretariat will communicate with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) for the budget as the finance minister had suggested, Abdur Rashid said the situation does not still require any such move.

The secretary said the finance ministry has not yet informed them in written of its decision over the proposed budget.

Abdur Rashid had earlier said they will prepare the budget after completing recruitments of the assistant officers by July 20. But the secretariat sent the proposal for budgetary allocation to the finance ministry on July 17.

The two or three senior officials of the EC Secretariat involved in preparing the budget maintained silence about the amount of the budget while others kept guessing it to be around Tk 40 crore.

CONFUSION GRIPS PREPARATORY WORK
District election officers appointed as registration officers and assistant registration officers are facing new difficulties following the finance minister's refusal.

"We are preparing to begin the task for updating the voter list from Friday, but the latest development has put the task in uncertainty," a district election officer said.

The EC Secretariat, however, has assured the field level election officials of providing them with fund by next week, sources said.

But the finance minister's refusal gave hints that the allocation will be delayed, a district election officer argued.

"The assistant officers recruited for updating the voter list are expressing doubts over the success of the new move for updating the voter list," said another district election officer.

The EC began updating the voter list sitting at the election offices from July 1 but failed to get people's response. On July 7, it decided to visit door to door to do the task.

ON DEMAND OF NAGORIK COMMITTEE
On Nagorik Committee's demand for the resignation of the CEC and two election commissioners, Aziz did not say anything directly. "Many have said many things on the civil society, I don't want to say anything," he said.