The BNP yesterday accused the government of rigging votes and demanded re-elections in municipalities where polling centres had been occupied by ruling party men.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of the party, said in a press briefing after voting ended in the afternoon: “Our apprehension about a farcical election just came true.”
Fakhrul said fair elections were not possible as long as this government is in office.
“Since morning, there has been no spontaneity among voters. Rather, violence and occupation of polling centres turned the polls into a tragedy ... BNP agents were ejected from 157 polling stations. In many places, voters were also thrown out and most centres were occupied,” he alleged.
Demanding re-polling in places besieged with violence, he said: “This municipal elections have once again proved that the Election Commission is unable to hold a fair election.”
Late last night, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia held a meeting with her senior party colleagues at her Gulshan office.
The meeting adopted a resolution for rejecting yesterday’s polls, demanding the Election Commission’s resignation for failing to carry out constitutional duty and broadcasting that no elections can be fair under this government, sources said.
The meeting also discussed holding a rally at the capital’s Suhrawardy Udyan on January 5 to mark the second anniversary of the 2014 elections, which the party dubs as the “Democracy Killing Day.”
The party would hold a press conference at 11am today at the Gulshan office to make the these resolutions public. Earlier in the day, Osman Farruk, adviser to the BNP chairperson, claimed that municipal elections across the country had been massively rigged.
He told reporters at the Election Commission that voting in the municipal polls resembled that in the 10th parliamentary elections held in 2014.
“The ruling party used a set of techniques to manipulate the elections. We did not expect this type of election.
“The government is claiming that the election is being held in a peaceful manner but we see no peace,” Farruk said.
He said the people were aware of what was going on during the polls and they would judge whether or not it was a fair election.
Meanwhile, addressing another press briefing, BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi alleged that ruling party men had taken control of 157 polling stations in different parts of the country.
“In some municipalities, all the polling stations were occupied. The nation will remember the bloodshed and violence during the polls.”