Badruddoza doubtful about fairness of city corporation elections

Bikalpadhara Bangladesh chief AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury is sceptical about how efficiently upcoming city corporation polls in Dhaka and Chittagong will be conducted.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 23 March 2015, 10:02 AM
Updated : 23 March 2015, 10:02 AM

After meeting the grieving family of missing BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed on Monday he spoke to the reporters about the forthcoming elections.

He said despite the announcement of election schedule he was doubtful whether the polls would be ultimately held.   

“Even if the elections are held, I doubt whether they will be free and fair. We had bitter experience in the past about the elections held under the current government.”

According to the schedule, voting will take place on Apr 28 and nominations will be submitted on Mar 29.

The ruling Awami League has already announced the candidates it is supporting for the polls to be held in Dhaka and Chittagong.

But the BNP has not made any official announcement as yet.

Claiming that the city corporation polls could be ‘a trap’, the former president said, “BNP said, the polls were being announced to divert people’s attention from its movement.”

“The government has immense power. They may cancel the polls if they sense results can be unfavourable to them,” he added.

Even though Bikalpadhara Bangladesh is not part of the 20-Party alliance, they boycotted the Jan 5 general elections, in which Awami League won to form the government for the second term.

Referring to the government, he said, “To absolve itself from the misdoing of Jan 5, 2014 election, (the government) should now hold a fair and impartial poll.”

BNP Vice Chairman Sadeque Hossain Khoka had served for a long-time as the mayor of the undivided Dhaka City Corporation winning the last elections held before its bifurcation in 2002.

In Chittagong, M Manzur won the election in 2010 with the support of BNP.

The ruling party leaders are saying the elections to the two city corporations are a ‘chance’ for the BNP to get out of the blockade- shutdown cycle.

They are hopeful that BNP will grab this opportunity.