Dhaka, Sept. 29 -- Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, chair of the Election Reform Commission (ERC), has said that political parties must be brought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to ensure transparency and accountability in Bangladesh's electoral process.

Speaking at a seminar on the RTI Act held at a Dhaka hotel on Sunday, Dr Majumdar noted that proposals have already been placed to make candidates' educational qualifications and income-expenditure statements publicly available ahead of the next national election.

He stressed that without transparency in political parties themselves, reforms would remain incomplete. "Political parties should not remain outside the RTI framework," he said.Turning to broader development challenges, Dr M...