The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is contemplating boycott of the next phases of staggered partisan elections to union parishads.
Party leaders said that the party did not want to be a part of the ‘farcical polls marked by widespread violence, killing and vote rigging by the ruling Awami League under shelter of administration and law enforcers.’
They said that the party was thinking over the boycott for ‘biased role’ of the Election Commission ignoring its complaints of irregularities, capture of polling centres and stuffing of ballot boxes driving out BNP’s polling agents, the party leaders said.
Outgoing BNP joint secretary general Mohammad Shajahan, also involved in the nomination process, told New Age on Friday that they would make a decision whether to boycott the next phases of polls.
He said that the party would sit in a meeting in a couple of days to make the decision.
Asked if the party would boycott the polls, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that senior leaders were scheduled for today to hold a meeting with party chairperson Khaleda Zia and the meeting might make a decision in this regard.
BNP leaders alleged that AL activists barred many of their chairman candidates from collecting or submitting nomination forms.
BNP contested the first and second phases of the union council polls held on March 22 and 31 respectively. The third phase of polls is scheduled for April 23.
Elections at about 4, 500 unions are scheduled to be held in six phases by June.
In the first phase, elections were held at 725 unions, of which AL took 450 including 54 chairman elected unopposed while BNP won at 47 unions.
In the second phase, election was held at 639 unions on Thursday and unofficial results of 623 unions received till 7:00pm on Friday showed that AL chairman candidates won election at 443 unions and BNP candidates at 60 unions.
Shajahan said that administration, law enforcers, AL activists and election officials en-masse turned the polls into a farce marked by loss of lives, violence, capture of polling centres and stuffing of ballot boxes.
He said the party nominated chairman candidates, supporters and the party leaders and activists could not stay in their houses and areas in the face of threat and intimidation and attack on their houses by AL activists in police shelter.
He said that even voters were being barred from turning up at the polling stations.
BNP leaders alleged that the Election Commission failed to carry out its constitutional responsibility.
‘People would also blame us if we take part in the farcical polls…Why we would be a part to this controversial polls’ a BNP leader close to the party high command said.
BNP may boycott the polls as it does not want to cause further sufferings to the grassroots leaders and activists in terms of physical, mental and financial loss, the party leaders said.
They think that boycotting the polls would further expose the government’s appearance through intraparty clashes centring the polls.
Source: New Age
