Alleging that the ruling Awami League-backed candidates are trying to tamper the city corporations polls, BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Friday demanded immediate deployment of army at all polling centres for free and fair elections. Addressing a late night press conference at the party headquarters in city’s Nayapaltan area, Rizvi said the government is trying to take everything under its control, sensing a massive support of people in favour of the BNP-backed candidates.
He said the prime minister’s special assistance is now staying in Rajshahi and Finance Minister Muhith and former AIG Syed Bazlul Karim are in Sylhet. Another ruling party MP is currently in Barisal to influence the election, which is a violation of the electoral code of conduct.
Rizvi claimed if elections are held in a free and fair manner, the 18-party alliance-backed candidates will sweep them in all the four city corporations. He warned that if the ruling party tries to engineer the poll results, people will resist it at any cost.
He accused a private television channel of propagating for the ruling party candidates in the mayoral elections.
He said the government is using different strategies, mechanism and conspiracies to influence the electoral results.
He said deployment of only 15 magistrates in each city corporation poll is insufficient to conduct the election in a free, fair and peaceful manner. People will give a befitting reply to the government’s repression on people by casting votes for the BNP-backed candidates.
-With The Independent input
