Brahmanbaria, Jan 8 (UNB) – Re-balloting in three election centres in Brahmanbaria-2 constituency, where the voting was suspended during the December-30 general election, will be held on Wednesday.

In case of 100 percent turnout of 10,574 voters in the three polling centres, BNP candidate Abdul Sattar Bhuiyan needs 208 votes while his nearest rival independent contender Moyeenuddin Moyeen requires 10,367 votes to win the election.

The three election centres are Jatrapur Govt Primary School, Bahadurpur Govt Primary School and Sohagpur Dakkhin Govt Primary School.

The margin of votes between Abdus Sattar and Moyeenuddin is 10,159 which is less than the total 10,574 votes under the three election centres. So, the re-voting to the three polling centres is needed. 

Abdus Sattar with ‘Paddy Sheaf’ bagged 82,723 votes while Moyeen with ‘Kalar Chhara’ (Stalk of Bananas) pocketed 72,564 votes during the December-30 election.

Assistant returning officer of the election and Ashuganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mousumi Bain Hira said all preparations have already been completed to arrange the re-voting. 

Dhaka, Jan 8 (UNB) – Jatiya Oikyafront on Tuesday worked out three programmes, including holding a national dialogue, to force the government to hold fresh election cancelling the results of the 11th parliamentary polls.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the programmes after a meeting of top leaders of the alliance at Dr Kamal Hossain’s Bailey Road residence in the city.

Two other programmes are filing cases with electoral tribunals soon and making visits by top leaders of Jatiya Oikyafront to the areas hit by violence during the election, he said.

Fakhrul said their alliance’s top leaders will first visit Balaganj in Sylhet within a week as an activist of their alliance was killed there.

The Oikyafront spokesman, however, did not mention when their alliance will arrange the national dialogue.

Dr Kamal Hossain said they discussed at their meeting what happened during the December-30 election. “We voiced concern that people couldn’t elect their representatives through the election as per our hopes and aspirations.”

He said the government and the Election Commission held something else in the name of the election, and published its results. “A government has also been formed based on such results.”

Later, Fakhrul read out a written statement of the alliance and demanded the Election Commission (EC) immediately provide the alliance with the copies of the election results of every polling station.

He said they need the copies of the centre-based election results so that they can present those before the court to prove that the December-30 election was not held as per the constitution.

Under the current circumstances, Fakhrul said, “We strongly demand a fair and neutral election be held under a non-party impartial government and a neutral Election Commission.” 

He said people on December 30 could not cast their votes as they got panicked due to the violence unleashed by the government-backed ‘terrorist elements’. “So, people were deprived of their constitutional and democratic rights and the rights of expression.” 

As per the UN Convention and the Human Rights, the Oikyafront spokesman said, human rights were snatched through the 11th parliamentary election. “According to Bangladesh’s Constitution and the international laws, such acts of officials involved with the election are serious offences.”

Fakhrul said the Election Commission deceived the country’s people, who are the owners of the country, through the parliamentary elections.

He said the election was turned into a ‘farce’ by ‘abusing’ the power of the law enforcers and administrative officials and making army’s role ‘ineffective’.

Oikyafront senior leaders, including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, ASM Abdur Rab, Abdul Kader Siddique, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Subrata Chowdhury Mostafa Mohsin Montu and Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, held the hour-long meeting with Dr Kamal Hossain in the chair.

Dhaka, Jan 8 (UNB) - BNP on Tuesday turned down the new 47-member cabinet, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which took oath on Monday.

“We earlier rejected the election results as people have no relation with it. It can be said people completely boycotted the election and they didn’t accept its results. So making comment on a cabinet formed on the basis of such election results is an absurd matter,” said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

He further said, “Like the election results, we also completely turn down the new parliament and the cabinet. We believe this cabinet has no right to rule the country’s 16 crore people as people didn’t elect them and approve them.”

Fakhrul came up with the remark while talking to reporters after a meeting of BNP senior leaders at the Party’s Nayapaltan central office.

He said the ruling party deceived the entire nation and destroyed the Liberation War spirit just in a bid to capture power.

Asked what BNP will do now, Fakhrul said as a democratic and liberal party, it will carry out its democratic movement for establishing a democratic and pro-people government.

On Monday, a 47-member cabinet took oath following Awami League’s massive victory in the 11th national election on December 30.
 

Dhaka, Jan 7 (UNB) – Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad and leader of the opposition of the 10th parliament Raushon Ershad did not turn up at the swearing-in function of the new cabinet members at Bangabhaban on Monday.

Party cochairman GM Quader, who has been appointed deputy opposition leader in the 11th parliament, also did not attend the programme as he said he did not get the invitation card.

Talking to UNB, GM Quader said Ershad could not join the function at Bangabhaban as he is sick. “Our chairman has been receiving treatment at Dhaka CMH since Saturday night. I don’t know why madam (Raushon) didn’t turn up at the programme.”

He said he had wanted to attend the programme, but he did not receive any invitation card to go to Bangabhaban.

GM Quader said Ershad may go to Singapore again on January 18 for receiving treatment.

Contacted, some senior Jatiya Party leaders, including two state ministers of the immediate past cabinet, said they did not go to Bangabhaban on personal grounds.

However, Jatiya Party MP Fakhrul Imam said he along with his five party colleagues joined the oath-taking programme.

Both Ershad and Raushon were present at the oath-taking ceremony of the last cabinet on January 12, 2014 while three Jatiya Party MPs joined the cabinet.

However, the Jatiya Party chairman this time decided that their party will play the role of opposition in parliament.

In a statement on January 4, Ershad his party will be the main opposition in the 11th parliament while he will act as the Leader of the Opposition.

“As the chairman of Jatiya Party Parliamentary Party, I’ll be the leader of the opposition while party cochairman Golam Quader deputy opposition leader of the House,” he also said.

Jatiya Party which joined the election as the key partner of the Grand Alliance bagged 22 seats.

Dhaka, Jan 7 (UNB) - Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Monday said members of the new cabinet must deliver as per the election pledges of the party to retain their positions in the cabinet.  

“Our Prime Minister is very serious about performances of the cabinet members. Her decision will be strict in this regard. Those who will fail to deliver will lose their positions,” he said while talking to reporters at the secretariat.

While forming the new cabinet, the Prime Minister gave emphasis on those districts from where there had been no minister for a long time and the new faces have been picked from those districts, he said. 

“The people of the country have taken the new cabinet positively. The cabinet involving new and old ones will be more dynamic,” said the AL leader.

Responding to a question about the cabinet size, Quader said it might be expanded in the future.

Responding to another question about dropping senior leaders from the cabinet, the AL leader said, “It’s not a matter of exclusion as it can be seen as changes in responsibilities.” 

The Prime Minister formed the new cabinet in that way so that the election promises could be implemented, Quader added. 

Mentioning that the government and the party are two separate entities, he said senior leaders will work for making the party well-organised one.

A 47-member new cabinet, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was sworn in at Bangabhaban at 3 pm.