Bangladesh Jamaat-e Islami-led 11-party alliance on Wednesday warned of a nationwide movement if the Thakurgaon-1 by-election scheduled for Thursday is not held fairly.
“If the situation takes a different turn in Thakurgaon by-election, the movement across Bangladesh will reach an intense stage,” Alliance’s coordinator AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad told reporters in the Election Commission Building in the city.
Earlier, an 11-party alliance delegation, led by Azad, met Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin to raise their concerns and observations regarding two issues –-Thakurgaon by-election and upcoming local government elections.
During the meeting, the alliance reiterated its demand for the withdrawal of Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Khairul Islam, arguing that merely keeping him away from election duties is not enough to prevent his alleged influence on the election.
It also demanded a departmental inquiry into the allegations against him.
The delegation submitted written complaints over alleged attacks, intimidation and obstruction of their campaign activities in the Thakurgaon-1 constituency, which fell vacant after Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir assumed office as the president.
Azad, also an assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami, said the alliance demanded the removal of the UNO, but the Election Commission (EC) has only barred him from election-related duties without withdrawing him from his post.
“We had asked for the UNO to be removed, but he has not been removed. The Election Commission has only kept him away from election activities. We have insisted that he must be withdrawn and departmental action taken against him,” he said.
Azad warned that if Thursday’s election is not neutral, the alliance will consider the EC’s actions merely an eyewash.
“Tomorrow’s election will determine whether we participate in the local government elections. If the election is not fair, the movement will spread across the country,” he said.
Azad, assistant secretary general of Jamaat, expressed concern over the safety of Hindu voters in the constituency.
He said the alliance urged the EC to bring the polling, vote counting and the announcement of results under the surveillance of CCTV cameras and take immediate action if irregularities are detected.
Referring to the 1994 Magura-2 by-election, the Jamaat leader said the election triggered a movement that eventually led to the fall of the BNP government in 1996.
He said that the EC told them that adequate law enforcement personnel had already been deployed in the election area and assured the delegation that it would take action if irregularities occurred.
About the upcoming local government elections, the delegation expressed concern over uncertainty of timeframes and the possibility of government influence.
