After boycotting the  national election, BNP has now decided not to join the upcoming upazila parishad polls under the current government. BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi came up with the announcement at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office. "We have always said that any election under Sheikh Hasina will never be peaceful, credible and fair. So, BNP had taken a decision not to go to any election under her. BNP still stands by that decision,” he said. Earlier on Monday, Awami League Central Working Committee at an emergency meeting decided not to field party candidates and allocate party’s election symbol “boat” in any local government polls, including the upcoming elections to city corporations, municipalities and upazila parishads. Read more: 'India deepened ties with AL, not people of Bangladesh': Rizvi Asked what BNP will do if the elections are held without party symbols, Rizvi said, “We’re saying that the elections will not be fair under this government…we’re still stick to our decision of not going to any polls under Sheikh Hasina since no free and fair election can ever be held under her.” Election Commissioner Anisur Rahman on Monday said the first phase of upazila polls can be held by April 30 considering the beginning of the SSC examinations in February and the fasting month in March. Justifying their decision to boycott the upcoming upazila polls, Rizvi said the country’s people know how the 12th parliamentary election was held under Sheikh Hasina and what were the results and nature of that polls. He said it was also proved through the national elections in 2014 and 2018 that credible polls are not possible under the Awami League government. “Sheikh Hasina in no way believes in democracy, no matter what statements she makes. She doesn’t believe in the power of the people, the will of the people,” the BNP leader said. He said the government conducted a strange and farcical election as per its master plan with the support of its masters as it is least bothered about democracy and public opinions. Read more: Moyeen Khan expects AL govt to fall apart 'like a house of cards'

Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) central office in Dhaka’s Nayapaltan was reopened this morning, nearly two and a half months after closure following clashes with police during the party’s grand rally on October 28, 2023. Some BNP leaders and activists, led by the party’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, unlocked the collapsible gate of the office around 10:42 am. They entered the office while shouting various slogans in the name of party founder Ziaur Rahman and Chairperson Khaleda Zia. “We entered BNP’s central office by breaking the lock. A massive rally was foiled through a brutal crackdown by the government’s subservient law-enforcement agencies on October 28…later police locked the office,” said Rizvi. Read: BNP leader Fakhrul gets bail in 9 cases, 2 more cases pending  He said BNP’s standing committee members, led by Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, will hold a press conference — on the national election held on January 7 — at the office at 3 pm. The BNP leader said they will now clean the office for holding the press meet. After the party’s grand rally was foiled halfway through on October 28 at Nayapaltan amid clashes with police, the collapsible gate of the BNP's office was closed with the deployment of a huge number of law enforcers in the area. Members of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) marked the areas in front of the main gate of the BNP office with the crime scene tape inscribed with "Do not cross” to collect evidence for investigation into severe political violence. Later, the CID's Crime Scene Unit collected evidence from the site and later removed the crime scene tape. Read: BNP to continue street agitation until demands are met: Rizvi  Following the clashes, law enforcers launched a crackdown on senior BNP leaders and activists, and arrested BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and several other leaders, forcing most of them to go into hiding to avoid arrest. Though thousands of BNP leaders and activists brought out a Victory Day rally on December 16 in Nayapaltan, they did not reopen their central office. BNP finally reopened the office four days after the 12th parliamentary election that was boycotted by most opposition parties.