Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today categorically assured that people will cast their votes freely in the upcoming election and said that BNP has nothing to be worried about. “I think they (BNP) get anxious when there’s a fair election, because they are not going to get the scope to come to power through vote-rigging and keeping 1.23 crore fake voters on the voters’ list. Otherwise, there is nothing to be worried about,” she said. The Prime Minister said this while responding to a question at a press conference held at Bangladesh Permanent Missions in the UN. Sheikh Hasina said that elections are always free and fair under AL government, and that was not the case in the past. “Who are they who want to raise questions regarding elections? Awami League has always fought to establish democracy in the country,” she said. She also said that AL never came to power through rigging votes. “AL always takes office through peoples’ votes,” she added. “People will cast their votes in the election freely. The 2009, 2014 and 2018 elections were held under such environment,” she said. Talking about BNP’s participation in the upcoming national election, she said, BNP did not participate in the 2014 election, and that was their decision. “They knew that they do not have any possibility to come to power through a proper election process. They are used to taking over through murders, coup and conspiracy. That is the reality,” she said. The Prime Minister said that the AL government has ensured people’s right to vote. Sheikh Hasina also claimed that the AL government has put the election process of the country on the right track which was derailed during the military regimes and BNP-Jamaat tenures. Regarding use of electronic voting machine (EVM), she said that EVM is a modern system and used in many countries around the world. “We saw that elections where EVM was used got faster election results and people could give their votes freely,” she said. She, however, said that it is true there are some people against EVM use. Also read: PM: Returning from UNGA with friendship for Bangladesh