"It hurts me to say that some people from the media have tried to make the polls look questionable," Shamim said. "I want to empathise with them first because it is due to some of their actions, a lot of veteran journalists were ashamed.
"Yesterday, at the Narayanganj Club, I did not talk to any outsider - most of the people present were journalists from Dhaka and the rest of the country. As a local from Narayanganj, I thought it was my duty to look after the journalists as my guests. I provided them dinner, I even gave away my own room to a few who did not have any accommodation.
"But I was disheartened when I came to know yesterday (Wednesday), one news outlet called Tribune (Bangla Tribune) and another national newspaper, probably Prothom Alo on it's back page, ran a story that I have been conspiring to influence the polls."
The Bangla Tribune published an
article on Wednesday quoting supporters of Awami League-endorsed candidate Selina Hayat Ivy that Shamim, MP of Narayanganj-4 constituency, had met his family-backed councillor candidates numerous times at the Narayanganj Club in an attempt to influence the election.