BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami candidates in Dhaka-15 constituency have accused each other of breaching the election code of conduct following the allocation of their symbols by the returning officer.
Symbols for candidates contesting in Dhaka-13 and Dhaka-15 constituencies were distributed at the Returning Officer office at the Election Training Institute in Dhaka’s Agargaon on Wednesday.
BNP candidate Shafiqul Islam Khan Milton was allocated ‘Paddy Sheaf’ symbol while Jamaat’s Amir Shafiqul Rahman received ‘Scales’ symbol.
After receiving his symbol, BNP candidate Milton said, “I have come here following the code of conduct. It is unfortunate that a particular party did not adhere to it. We came with five representatives, but they brought more than ten people.”
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He alleged that Jamaat’s female activists are going door to door in Dhaka-15 collecting voters’ ID cards and mobile payment (bKash) numbers, which he described as a breach of election rules.
“This violates the code of conduct. Videos show female activists asking for NID and bKash numbers which are personal information and cannot be handed over to outsiders. When questioned, they hurried away, and later their leaders returned with 20-25 people and harassed those asking questions,” Milton said, claiming similar incidents occurred in Pirerbagh and Shewrapara.
He alleged that Jamaat’s workers assaulted two BNP activists. “I personally contacted police and the military to control the situation and urge the Election Commission to ensure that everyone can vote freely and safely.”
Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat Ehsanul Mahbub Zubayer said, “We hope all candidates will participate in the election and the winner will be decided through voting. We will move towards a peaceful and safe Bangladesh. Although our party faced attacks by terrorists including yesterday, we hope such incidents do not happen again. We seek a terror-free election. Since the last three elections were not held the EC must ensure a level playing field.”
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Responding to BNP’s allegations regarding women conducting early campaigns, Zubayer rejected the claims.
“These are completely false. After the schedule was announced, we removed all campaign materials and did not wait for the EC,” he added.
Zubayer further claimed that their female voters faced harassment from a particular party and expressed hope that such incidents would not recur.