Former election commissioner Mahbub Talukdar passed away at a hospital in the city Wednesday afternoon. He was 80. Sabbir Ahmed, a duty manager of United Hospital, said he was brought dead to the hospital. His daughter Irin Talukder said her father's oxygen level fell on Wednesday morning and later he was taken to the hospital where doctors said he had suffered a massive cardiac arrest and breathed his last around 1pm. Mahbub, also a renowned poet and juvenile writer, had been suffering from cancer for a long time. He served as an election commissioner in the KM Nurul Huda-led five-member Election Commission from February 2017 to February 2022. The Election Commission expressed shock at his death and expressed deep sympathy to the bereaved family. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed deep shock at Mahbub's death. In a condolence message, he described Mahbub Talukder as a brave son of this era. "Despite the hostile environment in the Election Commission, he single-handedly fought to ensure free, transparent and fair elections, but he could not achieve his desired goal due to the Commission's subservient role towards the authoritarian regime." Mahbub also exposed the misdeeds of the Election Commission in eliminating voting, elections and voting rights at the behest of the government, the BNP leader added. Read:Uncontested elections a concern for democracy: EC Mahbub He prayed for the eternal peace of his departed soul and conveyed profound sympathy to the bereaved family. Mahbub was born on 13 February 1942 in Netrakona's Purbadhala. He completed his secondary education at Nawabpur Government High School, higher secondary education at Dhaka College and higher education at Dhaka University. In his early career, he had been engaged in journalism in the Daily Ittefaq and taught at Jagannath College, the architecture department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, and the Bangla Department of Chittagong University. In 1971, he participated in the Liberation War and joined the Ministry of Information of the Mujibnagar government. Later, he served in various positions during his five-year government service in Bangabhaban. On January 24, 1972, Mahbub was appointed as a special officer of President Abu Saeed Chowdhury. He then served as President Mohammadullah's public relations officer. During the tenure of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Mahbub served as his assistant press secretary. He also served as the director general of Shilpakala Academy and in various ministries and organisations until his retirement as an additional secretary in 1999. Mahbub received the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 2012.

Mentioning that the absence of the opposition in polling stations has made the elections to the two city corporations questionable, Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar on Tuesday said the reform of the election process and a change in the election management are a must.

Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar on Sunday said there is no level-playing field within the Election Commission (EC) itself as the scope for him to express opinion has squeezed.