The Awami League-backed candidates have recently triumphed in city corporation elections in Dhaka and Chittagong because the party has learned from the mistakes that led to their losses in the 2013 city polls, Health Minister Mohammad Nasim has said.
Nasim, a member of Awami League’s presidium and spokesperson of the 14-party alliance, however, did not explain what the mistakes were.
Mohammad Nasim said this while talking to reporters after a meeting with the central leaders of the 14-party alliance at the Awami League president Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi office.
BNP-backed candidates came up with a clean sweep in the city corporation elections in Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Gazipur in 2013. That very year, the Awami League-backed candidate lost to a rebel candidate in the Narayanganj city corporation polls.
Terming the Dhaka north, south and Chittagong city corporation polls free and fair, the health minister claimed that except for some sporadic incidents, there had been no major untoward incidents during the April 28 polls.
“The BNP boycotted the January 5 national polls in 2014. They joined the Dhaka and Chittagong city corporation polls. But rejected the polls midway raising allegations of rigging. This is not acceptable behaviour,” he said.
“If the polls were rigged, then how have they got such a large number of votes?” he posed a question.
When reminded that foreigners had called for investigation into the allegations of rigging, Nasim said: “It is their routine job. So, we are not worried about this.”