BNP on Thursday urged the Election Commission (EC) to activate a fact-checking cell immediately to curb disinformation, misinformation and smear campaigns on social media ahead of the national election.

“There is widespread propaganda on social media centring on the election. Misinformation, disinformation and character assassination are being carried out,” said Mahdi Amin, spokesperson of the BNP’s election steering committee, at the party’s Gulshan election office.

In this context, he said the BNP has demanded the formation of a fact-checking cell at the Election Commission. “We urge that such a fact-checking cell be made operational across the country without delay.”

The BNP leader said intense propaganda and character assassination using the social media platforms may affect the election atmosphere if left unaddressed.

He said Meta recently verified the official Facebook and Instagram accounts of Barrister Zaima Rahman, daughter of BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman.

Mahdi said Zaima does not operate any other social media accounts.

He claimed BNP’s ICT wing has taken down over 50 fake accounts and pages spreading deepfake and AI-generated content, and is in communication with Meta to remove more.

The BNP leader also said numerous fake pages were opened using the name of Dr Zubaida Rahman, wife of Tarique Rahman, to spread fabricated videos. “We confirm Dr Zubaida Rahman has no social media account. We request everyone not to be misled.”

The BNP spokesperson said the party has launched a call centre to enable people to seek information, lodge complaints or share feedback by dialling 16543.

He also introduced the ‘Match My Policy’ platform, where people can give their opinions on the party’s policy proposals for its upcoming manifesto.

On the question of the referendum scheduled for 12 February, Mahdi said BNP will take a ‘Yes’ position on reform issues based on its earlier proposals, including Vision 2030, the 27-point framework and the 31-point programme.

“We call upon every democratic-minded citizen, institution and political party to contribute to a transparent and accountable state system,” he said.

Mahdi also voiced concern over what he described as discriminatory placement of election symbols on postal ballots. “Unfortunately, we have noticed that the ‘paddy sheaf’ symbol has been placed at the bottom in a way that is not easily visible. It could be rearranged in columns or lines to remove this disparity.”

He alleged that some BNP candidates living abroad during previous years renounced their foreign citizenship after securing nominations, but the EC is still creating complications over dual nationality. “Under Article 66 of the Constitution there is no scope for unnecessary debate.”

Mahdi also said several political parties were openly seeking votes with party symbols both physically and online, while BNP expects the EC to ensure equal enforcement of election rules.