The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Tuesday alleged that a particular party was deliberately attempting to undermine the level-playing field in the run-up to the Jatiya Sangsad elections, raising the issue during a meeting with the Election Commission.
A BNP delegation led by the party’s election steering committee chair Nazrul Islam Khan met the chief election commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin at the EC headquarters in the capital.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Nazrul said that while the BNP was complying with the commission directives, other political forces were allegedly acting in a coordinated manner to tilt the contest in their favour.
The BNP, Nazrul said, is making deliberate efforts to uphold a fair electoral environment by strictly following instructions from the Election Commission.
As an example, he noted, party chair Tarique Rahman has postponed a planned personal visit to the northern districts after the commission requested restraint.
‘Despite our compliance, we are seeing leaders of other political parties continuing open campaigns, holding rallies and seeking votes for their symbols without any apparent restrictions,’ he said, alleging selective enforcement of electoral rules.
Another key issue discussed during the meeting was the disqualification of candidates on grounds of dual citizenship.
Nazrul alleged ‘strategic bias’ in the layout of postal ballots sent to expatriate voters, claiming that the arrangement of party names and symbols unfairly favoured a particular political party ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election.
He said that the postal ballot paper had been designed with five columns and 14 rows, resulting in the names and symbols of three specific political parties appearing on the first line.
By contrast, Nazrul Islam claimed, the BNP’s electoral symbol had been placed in the middle in such a way that it became less visible once the paper was folded.
The BNP requested that the postal ballots yet to be dispatched within the country be corrected to prevent a repetition of the ‘tactical approach’.
The party also raised allegations of irregularities in the distribution of postal ballots in Bahrain.
Nazrul Islam said that the commission had acknowledged its awareness of the incident and confirmed that it had contacted Bangladesh’s ambassador to Bahrain.
The commission said that an investigation was under way and action would be taken if wrongdoing was proven.
Replying to a question, Nazrul Islam said that the BNP was the first to demand reforms and would support the ‘yes’ side in the referendum on the issue.
On broader electoral issues, the BNP reiterated its demand for equal application of the law, particularly regarding the disqualification of candidates over dual citizenship.
Nazrul Islam Khan said that candidates who had renounced foreign citizenship should be eligible to contest, warning that selective disqualification undermined fairness.
He cited the cancellation of candidacy, including of two from the Jamaat-e-Islami, saying that all affected candidates should be given the opportunity for review.
