BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has urged the Election Commission (EC) to carry out its duties in a neutral manner.
He made the remarks on Sunday evening after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin at the Election Commission building in Agargaon, Dhaka.
Meanwhile, Chhatra Dal staged a day-long sit-in in front of the EC building in Agargaon, pressing three demands.
Party leaders and activists began their pre-announced “siege of the Election Commission office” program at around 11am on Sunday, taking position in front of the EC complex. Later in the evening, following a meeting with EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Hossain, the program was suspended for the day, with an announcement that the sit-in would resume on Monday.
Leaders and activists of Chhatra Dal from various units, including the central committee, Dhaka University, Jagannath University, Dhaka Metropolitan North and South, and different thanas of the capital, participated in the program. More than a thousand activists joined the demonstration in front of the EC headquarters.
Chhatra Dal President Rakibul Islam Rakib told journalists: “We had a fruitful discussion with the election commissioners. The commission has assured us that our demands are reasonable and that steps will be taken to address them.”
He added: “We are suspending today’s program for now. However, from 11am on Monday, we will again carry out the siege of the Election Commission. The program will continue until our demands are met.”
During the siege program, at around 5pm, a four-member BNP delegation led by Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir held a meeting with the CEC. The delegation included BNP Standing Committee member and Election Steering Committee Chairman Nazrul Islam Khan, BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council member Ismail Zabiullah, and former acting Election Commission secretary Dr Mohammad Zakaria.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Mirza Fakhrul said: “BNP has always been cooperating with the Election Commission to ensure a free, fair and neutral election. Unfortunately, we have observed certain issues where biased measures are being taken and some partial behaviour is evident. We have urged the commission to abandon these practices and act in a completely neutral manner.”
Highlighting issues discussed in the meeting, he said the postal ballot issue remains unresolved. “We believe the way ballot papers for registered voters living abroad have been printed is not correct. It appears that an attempt has been made to give undue advantage to a particular party. We have called for these ballot papers to be changed,” he added.
Raising allegations of violations of the electoral code of conduct and unlawful collection of personal information, Mirza Fakhrul said: “Jamaat activists are going door to door collecting copies of voters’ NID cards, bKash numbers and mobile phone numbers. This is not only a violation of personal privacy but also a criminal offence. We have urged the commission to take immediate action on this issue.”
He further alleged that a political party is using unethical tactics to relocate voters from different parts of the country to Dhaka. “We have requested the commission to urgently provide us with a detailed list specifying from which areas, how many voters, for what reasons and on what dates they have been relocated to Dhaka,” he said.
The BNP secretary general also alleged that in various constituencies, some officials - including returning officers, assistant returning officers, superintendents of police and officers-in-charge (OCs) - are “shamelessly working in favour of a particular party.” He said BNP has requested their withdrawal, subject to investigation, in the interest of holding a free, fair and credible election
Responding to a question about Chhatra Dal’s movement in front of the EC, Mirza Fakhrul said: “The commission has allowed the resumption of a university election that had previously been suspended. The Election Commission should reconsider this decision. Otherwise, it will remain questionable.”
