Leaders of the Ganatantrik Jukta Front on Tuesday called on the interim government, the Election Commission and law enforcement agencies to take immediate steps to resist attempts by some religion-based political parties to engineer the election in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad polls scheduled for Wednesday.

The leaders of the combine, in a press statement, said that the religion-based political parties were taking preparations to use religion and to cast fake votes in the election to manipulate the results.

The leaders called on the voters to cast their votes in favour of the Jukta Front-supported left parties’ candidates in the election.

The leaders also condemned the arrest of Bandar Rakkha Andolan leader Ibrahim Khokan and demanded his immediate and unconditional release.

They also expressed concern over signing a business deal with the United States hurriedly.

They demanded the cancellation of such an unequal deal, which they claimed was ‘contrary to the national interests of the country’.

Signatories to the statement include Socialist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz, Communist Party of Bangladesh president Kazi Sazzad Zahir Chandan, and Bangladesh Jasod president Sharif Nurul Ambia.