BNP mayor candidate for Khulna City Corporation polls, Nazrul Islam Monju, has said Awami league is hatching a conspiracy to snatch ballot boxes at night.
"Anticipating defeat, Awami League is plotting a conspiracy to snatch our votes to secure their win," he told a press briefing at the BNP Khulna city unit office on Monday, a day ahead of the polls.
Monju claimed police already detained 137 BNP activists and would nab more activists before the elections.
He alleged the Awami League candidate brought party activists and criminals from other districts who are spreading black money in the dark of night.
“The government is doing election engineering in KCC. They are conspiring to have the ballots sealed and boxed under police watch within tonight,” he said.
“Awami League has brought its people into the hotels, rest houses and residential quarters. Many hotels were booked for the police as well.
“On voting day, these people will get into the polling centres and start fighting with each other. When the voters get scared and leave, they will start stamping ballots.”
The BNP leader said the party was fighting the KCC polls in order to see if the government and the Election Commission can hold a free, fair and neutral election.
“But the last nine-and-a-half years has shown that this government cannot do that,” Monju said.
“Police have arrested 137 BNP activists and 10 people from allied parties. Including supporters they have arrested a total of 250 people. They handcuffed a senior leader who is very ill, and took Tk20,000 from him,” he said.
“Even my family was not spared from their viciousness.”
Nazrul however, claimed that people of Khulna city had shown their support to BNP.
“Awami League has black money, police and muscle. BNP has the people,” he said.
The voting for Khulna City Corporation will start at 8am and continue until 4pm on Tuesday.