BNP senior leader Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku on Wednesday alleged that the ruling Awami League wants the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to be used in all 300 seats in the next national election as part of its fresh plot to rig vote digitally instead of stuffing ballots.

He was talking to journalists after placing a wreath at BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave together with the leaders of the party’s newly made Chandpur district unit committee.

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“The daytime voting was held at night in the last election.  They now want the use of EVM so that the ballots need not be stuffed at night,” he said.

Tuku, a BNP standing committee member, also said by using the EVMs the ruling party will set a programme on their own and take 80% of votes showing 90% of votes cast. “It’s that kind of plot what the country’s people and we understand.”

The BNP leader said no election will be fair in Bangladesh unless it is held under a completely neutral government.

He said neither BNP nor the other opposition parties would join the next polls if held under the current Awami League government.

Tuku said political parties in Bangladesh established democracy through movements in the past. “We’ll again wage a movement for the restoration of that democracy, and we’ll realise our demands through the movement."

Replying to a question, he said Awami League also knows it very well that the election will not be accepted internationally if BNP boycotts it.

Tuku also slammed Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader for advising BNP to participate in the election for the sake of its existence, saying there is a question about the existence of Awami League, not BNP.

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“We have a party and most people are with us. “They’ve no party and only police and hooligans are with them…We won’t join the election under them this time,” he said.

Asked whether their party will finally take part in talks with the government and join the election under it as they did in 2018, Tuku said Awami League had broken all trusts of people and usurped power defeating people. “This time the election will be held only when people turn victorious and we’ll go to that polls.”