BNP chairman Tarique Rahman urged voters to remain alert on election day so that no one from one area can cast a vote in another area using someone else’s name.
“Preparations must be taken from the day before, so that no one can come and put a stamp using your name on your vote. You must be careful about this, and you must keep a watchful eye on your own polling centre,” he said at Tangail rally this evening.
Emphasising that only eligible voters have the right to vote, he added, “You must be careful to notice whether the right person is voting, or whether someone from another area has come and voted using someone else’s name.”
He made the remarks at around 6:30pm at an election rally in the Charchana Bypass area on the Dhaka-Tangail highway, warning that the election result must not be manipulated as it was in 2008.
At the rally, Tarique said that if BNP comes to power, initiatives will be taken to export Tangail’s sarees abroad, build a barrage on the Jamuna river to boost river-based trade and commerce, export pineapples from the region, and revive the jute industry by setting up factories.
Referring to voters’ bKash and NID numbers being collected ahead of the election, he said, “Those who can do such unethical acts before the election, if they get the chance, can even sell the country. You must warn them about this.”
Calling for vigilance, he said, “Even now, some groups are trying to find ways to obstruct the election.”
“They are sending different people, especially to women, trying to collect their NID numbers and bKash numbers, and confusing them in different ways,” he said.
After concluding a meeting with district leaders, Tarique left Bogura around 12:30pm in a red-and-green vehicle, accompanied by his wife Zubaida Rahman, to attend two election rallies.
While travelling, Tarique addressed two roadside rallies at Shahjahanpur and Dhunat intersection, where he was seeking votes.
From Bogura through Tangail to Sirajganj, party activists lined both sides of the highway at various points throughout the day.
At more than a dozen points, supporters gathered carrying party flags and placards bearing images of BNP candidates.
Many stood on road islands, overpasses, and the rooftops of nearby buildings in an effort to catch a glimpse of the BNP chairman.
As the red-and-green vehicle approached, supporters at several points rushed onto the road, stood in front of the convoy, waved their hands, and shouted slogans to greet him.
Tarique said the February 12 election could change people’s fate if the right candidates are elected with the right symbols.
He said that just as people from all political backgrounds took to the streets on the 5th (July 5, 2024), all eligible voters must similarly come out to polling centres on the 12th.
