BNP boycotted the city corporation polls in a dramatic fashion because they foresaw their massive defeat, said Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif while expressing his party’s reaction to BNP’s decision.
Denying all allegations of vote manipulation, Hanif said the BNP’s announcement of quitting the polls was preplanned at a press briefing held yesterday afternoon.
Claiming the BNP is trying to create a new issue to embark on nationwide violence, he said: “BNP boycotted the polls as it became sure of massive loss of their party-backed mayoral and councillor aspirants to the Awami League-backed candidates.
“The BNP have no specific allegations. They were not able to cite a single case of irregularity. The party leaders do not want peace. They are looking for a new issue to disrupt the ongoing peaceful situation in the country.”
BNP Standing Committee member Moudud Ahmed at a press conference at the party’s Naya Paltan headquarters said: “You cannot call this an election. It is a mockery of democracy. So we are rejecting and boycotting the voter-less and rigged polls.”
Tabith Awal, mayor aspirant for Dhaka North, and Afroza Abbas, wife of Dhaka South mayor aspirant Mirza Abbas, were present at Moudud’s press conference.
