BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday said there is no scope for ‘engineering’ in the national election as government officials and employees are expected to discharge their duties properly to ensure free, fair and credible voting.

“We have finally regained the freedom to express our opinions through independent voting. The election will be neutral, though some concerns always remain. But, we are hopeful that there will be no opportunity for ‘election engineering’ this time,” he said while speaking at a press briefing at his Thakurgaon residence.

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BNP has been carrying out a movement for the restoration of democracy for the last 16 years and expressed optimism that the February 12 election would help restore people’s voting rights and democracy, he said.

“If the election is held in a free and fair manner, it will create a major opportunity for reforming the state. So far, we believe the overall election environment is favourable,” Fakhrul added.

Regarding the acceptability of the election results, the BNP secretary general said his party has always accepted election outcomes.  “Even in 2008, when BNP won only 30 seats, we joined Parliament. This time, we are hopeful that BNP will secure a majority,” he said.

Referring to BNP’s rivals, including Jamaat, Fakhrul said Jamaat is a very strategic party and often engages in propaganda using religion. “They are trying to spread disinformation through various campaigns.”

BNP believes in positive and constructive politics and never underestimates its opponents, regardless of who they are, he added.