The main Opposition BNP on Saturday alleged irregularities and bias at many centres in the GCC election, saying that officials on poll duty worked in favour of the ruling party-backed candidate. The party also showed some examples as proof of irregularities in press briefings.
Led by party standing committee member MK Anwar, a BNP delegation met the CEC at around 1.30 pm to lodge their complaint about the irregularities.
Alleging that the government resorted to rigging, MK Anwar said some government officials, who were on election duty, worked in favour of ruling party-backed candidates.
At the No. 249 centre under Ward 49, police sub-inspector Abul Bashar, who was in charge of booth No. 7, drove all voters out and put seals on ballots by himself, he alleged.
He also said that at the Tongi Government College centre, a woman voter cast 38 votes in favour of the 14-party- backed candidate in booth No. 7.
At a press briefing at the party’s Naya Paltan central office after the polling, BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said ruling party activists disrupted polling at seven centres in Tongi Bazar, even though law enforcers were present, forcing the authorities to suspend counting of votes.
Earlier, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir warned the government of dire consequences if it resorted to manipulations and rigging during the polls.
“The government will dig its own grave if polling is not held in a free and fair manner and the government resorts to rigging,” he said.
Accusing the government of bias and partisanship, Alamgir said government officials worked in favour of the 14-party-backed mayoral candidate, Azmat Ullah Khan.
He also said: “Election agents of the 18-party alliance-backed mayoral candidate MA Mannan were forced out of some polling centres and about 80 per cent officials on duty were former Chhatra League leaders.”
He, however, expressed the hope that Mannan would win with a big margin.
BNP leaders MK Anwar, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Abdus Salam were present on the occasion.
-With The Independent input
