"They [election commissioners] do not have the attitude to resign from the posts. I talked to them," Secretary to the EC Secretariat Abdur Rashid Sarkar told reporters in his office yesterday.

Directed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) MA Aziz, the EC secretariat in a press release yesterday termed 'baseless' the report run by a section of newspapers and electronic media that the election commissioners and the EC secretary were unwilling to discharge their duties.

The media published the report in a bid to create confusion, the release said. Terming the Election Commission a constitutional body, the EC secretariat urged all concerned to refrain from creating confusion through running reports that are not based on information.

The three election commissioners -- Justice Mahfuzur Rahman, SM Zakaria and Mahmud Hasan Mansur -- who earlier told reporters that they were unwilling to continue the job amid the volatile political situation, yesterday declined to talk to journalists on the issue.

Journalists sought appointment from the three election commissioners separately through their personal secretaries, but the personal secretaries said the commissioners would not talk to newsmen on the matter.

To know their opinion about the growing crisis in the political arena centring the demand for reconstitution of the EC, a number of journalists talked to the three election commissioners separately in last couple of days when the election commissioners expressed unwillingness to continue their job.

Two of the election commissioners, who even requested the reporters to write news about their sentiment, told reporters that they would take decision in time if the crisis continues.

The three election commissioners, however, had requested anonymity.

After going through the news published in several dailies yesterday, CEC MA Aziz, who has all along remained rigid on his stance not to resign, reacted sharply and directed the EC secretariat to protest the news, sources said, adding that the three election commissioners who were present when the CEC directed the EC secretariat to protest the news did not say anything.

EC SECRETARY'S BRIEFING
The preparatory works are going on in full swing as they are prepared to conduct the next parliamentary election within the deadline of January 25, the EC secretary said in a news briefing yesterday.

The election schedule will be declared in between November 20 to 30 and the polling will take place in mid January, keeping at least 10 days for re-polling, he said.

The EC will talk with the caretaker government before declaring the election schedule, he added.

The EC secretary yesterday held a meeting with the Dhaka divisional election commissioner, four election officers of Dhaka district and thana election officers in the capital to discuss the progress of printing the updated voter list.