EC violated Constitution: BNP

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) blames the Election Commission (EC) for violating the Constitution.

It has referred to remarks made by Election Commissioner Abdul Mobarak, standing in for the Chief Election Commissioner, over the party's joining the Upazila polls despite boycotting the Jan 5 national elections.

"The Election Commission can't make such comments. It is a gross violation of the Constitution," senior BNP leader Rafiqul Islam Miah said Wednesday at a party event.

On Mar 30, EC Mobarak said that the BNP had no hesitation about participating in an election managed by the EC even while complaining that the body lacked credibility.

“Her (Khaleda Zia's) party is now contesting the election supervised by us," he said .

The BNP chief has repeatedly said that the EC, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, lacked spine and was subservient to the government.

Speaking during a 'human chain' formed to demand release of senior BNP leaders on Wednesday, BNP Standing Committee member Miah came down hard on the EC's role during the Upazila polls.

"The whole electoral process has collapsed. The people have witnessed (in the media) how ballot papers have been snatched and stamped," he said.

The ruling party had trailed the BNP in the first two phases of the Upazila polls. But it surged ahead in the subsequent phases, the BNP alleges, through concerted rigging and intimidation.

After the fifth phase, polling at 459 out of 487 Upazilas is over. Results have been announced from 454 Upazilas so far.

The Awami League now has 231 Upazila chairmen while the BNP has 161 after the five rounds of the staggered polls.

Taking in Jamaat’s 35 and LDP’s one, the BNP-led 19-Party alliance now has a total of 197 chairmen.