BNP alleges vote rigging in Comilla City polls

The Election Commission failed to control irregularities during the polls to Comilla City Corporation, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has alleged in its instant reaction.

Ruling Awami League activists backed by law enforcers ousted the party’s agents from polling stations, BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said at a media briefing in Dhaka on Thursday.

“After midday voting, the Awami League activists took control of polling stations and went on a rigging frenzy,” he said.

The EC failed to make any effort to control muscle-flexing and violent activities by the ruling party men, Rizvi said.

He alleged that the Awami League activists ‘exploded crude bombs’ to take control of the centres.

BNP leaders and activists who went to Comilla to campaign for their candidate left the city before the deadline, but the Awami League activists stayed on to rig votes, he alleged.

“The commission has surely failed to do its duty for free and fair polls,” Rizvi said.

Asked whether the party would accept the results, he declined to comment on the matter instantly. “Now we are speaking about only the information we have received initially.”

Rizvi showed photos to back up the allegations of vote rigging.