The ruling Awami League yesterday questioned the Election Commission's decision to postpone the by-elections to Gaibandha-5 while its archrival the BNP said the decision proved that no free and credible election is possible under a partisan government.

The AL also said the commission's decision proved that elections are always held under the EC and as per its decisions and thus there is no justification for the BNP's demand for a polls-time caretaker government.

Addressing a programme in the capital, AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader said it was not clear why the voting in the by-polls was stopped on Wednesday.

"I will humbly request the Election Commission to think about how logical, legal and realistic its decision was on halting the polls through monitoring CCTV footage from Dhaka," he said.

Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, however hoped that the EC would take appropriate measures to hold free, fair, and acceptable elections.

AL Joint General Secretary Hasan Mahmud said people are saying that the EC's decision has been called into question as it suspended the by-polls watching CCTV footage sitting about 500km away from the electoral constituency.

Hasan, also the information and broadcasting minister, said this decision proved that "elections are always held under the EC and as per its decisions and the government has no role in this regard".

That's why there is no justification for the formulas of polls-time caretaker government, neutral government or other governments, put forward by the BNP and others, the minister told reporters at his Secretariat office.

Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday said the EC itself withheld the Gaibandha-5 by-election after not being able to conduct the polls in a fair manner.

This proved that holding a free and credible election is not possible under a partisan government, he told journalists at his hometown Thakurgaon in the afternoon.

The BNP leader once again demanded an election-time caretaker government.

Our Thakurgaon correspondent contributed to this report.