BNP demands reelections to Dhaka city corporations

BNP Wednesday demanded reelections to Dhaka south and north city corporations cancelling Saturday’s voting as the party said people’s opinion was not reflected in the polls, UNB reports.

Speaking at a post-election press conference at Emanuel’s Banquet Hall in the city’s Gulshan area, party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also claimed that only 7-9 percent votes were cast in the city polls.

BNP’s defeated two mayoral candidates, Tabith Awal and Ishraque Hossain– arranged the press conference to give their formal reactions to Dhaka north and south city corporation’s polls held on Saturday.

“We would like to clearly say that people’s opinion was not reflected in the city polls and people could not cast their votes. So, we call for cancelling the results of that polls holding fresh election to the two city corporations,” Fakhrul said.

He said the voter presence in the election was very low as people have no confidence in the government and the Election Commission.

Fakhrul alleged that the government has destroyed the country’s election system and all the democratic institutions with an aim to ‘restore’ one-party Baksal rule which Awami League could not fully establish in 1975.

BNP’s Dhaka North City Corporation polls mayoral candidate Tabith Awal demanded the Election Commission present transparently all the information about the results of the city elections.

He also said voters were not allowed to enter the polling station at the behest of senior Awami League leaders. “Attempts to control the voting centers were made by creating false voter lines and keeping ruling party activists there. The ruling party didn’t allow voters to come to the polling stations in a planned way to rig votes.”

BNP’s Dhaka South City Corporation polls’ mayoral candidate Ishraque Hossain said the Election Commission announced ‘imaginary and fabricated’ results, and thus injustice has been done to the voters through the city polls.