“What today held in the name of elections to Dhaka south and north city corporations was nothing but a farce”, said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at the party’s Nayapaltan central office.
Around half an hour after the voting ended, Fakhrul came up with his party’s instant reaction to the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) polls.
He, however, said their party will give its formal reaction to the election after the Election Commission (EC) announces the results.
Fakhrul said there was no scope for reflection of people’s opinion in the election the way it was held today. “There’s no doubt that election was not free and fair at all,” he said.
He alleged that the voting began in the morning with a major violation of the electoral code of conduct as the Prime Minister sought votes for boat going to cast her vote at City College centre. “Her statement is tantamount to a direct interference in the polls.”
The BNP leader also alleged that Election Commission has provided the assistant presiding officers the EVM pin code after 2pm so that they can rig votes as per the demand of the ruling party without fingerprints of voters.
“The Election Commission's such a decision has opened the way for the ruling party to indulge in vote frauds through EVMs. This is what we feared would happen,” he observed.
Fakhrul alleged that their party candidates’ agents were obstructed from going to polling stations while those who entered the centres braving all the barriers were driven out by ruling party ‘cadres’ as the law enforcers and presiding officers played a role of silent spectators.
Referring to the Chief Election Commissioner’s comment that polling agents should put up a resistance to stay at the polling stations, he said KM Nurul Huda provoked the ruling party ‘cadres’ to indulge in violence.
The BNP leader alleged that around 200-250 outsiders hired by the ruling party took positions in front of all voting centres wearing the badges of Awami League candidates. “They created panic among voters. So, the voters didn’t go to the polling stations for lack of security.”
He also alleged that the ruling party activists forced many voters to cast vote the favour of their candidates.
Fakhrul said though their party made various complaints with the Election Commission about various irregularities, no action was taken in this regard.
The balloting for the elections to the two Dhaka city corporations began at 8am and concluded at 4pm without any break. Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs were fully used this time instead of traditional ballot papers.
BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Mirza Abbas, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Selima Rahman and Iqbal Hasn Mahmud Tuku were, among others, present.