Narayanganj elections a partial victory: Fakhrul

The Narayanganj City Corporation election is a 'partial victory' for the BNP, says its senior leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

“I see the election a bit differently,” the BNP secretary general said on Saturday.

 “Our continued struggle for free and fair elections delivered a partial victory, as the EC was forced to maintain an impartial election environment, at least outwardly,” he said.

Mirza Fakhrul's comment to the media came during his visit to Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna, who is currently undergoing treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital.

“We have certainly gained a partial victory.”

On Thursday, incumbent mayor and Awami League candidate Selina Hayat Ivy defeated her BNP challenger Sakhawat Hossain Khan by seventy five thousand votes to win a second term.

According to the tally announced by the returning official, Ivy clinched 175,611 votes and Sakhawat 96,044.

Though Sakhawat Hossain had expressed satisfaction about the election environment, he expressed doubts as to whether the vote count had been fair.

At a press conference on Friday the BNP called for a judicial probe into the election, saying the Awami League had only created an atmosphere of fairness so as to declare Ivy the winner.

On Saturday, Mirza Fakhrul said: “You have heard our opinion. We want to investigate the matter further and are looking into it. Then we can tell you what really happened.”