Comilla polls results 'fair', but voting 'unfair', says BNP leader Gayeshwar

The BNP has said its mayoral candidate Monirul Haque Sakku could win with a 'huge margin' if the polls in Comilla City Corporation were fair.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 31 March 2017, 03:39 PM
Updated : 31 March 2017, 03:40 PM

The party's National Standing Committee member Gayeshwar Roy came up with the claim on Friday saying the results of the election were 'fair' but the voting was 'unfair'.

When the BNP candidate lost in last year's election to Narayanganj City Corporation, Gayeshwar said the voting had been 'fair', but the results were 'unfair'.

Speaking at separate programmes in Dhaka on Friday, a day after the victory of Sakku with a margin of little over 11,000 votes, BNP leaders Gayeshwar, Moudud Ahmed, Abdullah Al Noman, and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi expressed dissatisfaction over the voting in Comilla.

At one of the programmes, Gayeshwar said, "We have won. But it has to be said that the Awami League would lose with a margin of at least 50 percent votes if the voting was free and fair," he said.

Sakku secured 68,948 votes while his nearest rival the Awami League's  Anjum Sultana Sima got 57,863 votes.

Gayeshwar said the political parties should now shun the 'theory' of calling elections free and fair in the case of victory.

He also claimed the rival factions in Comilla Awami League were united this time but failed to secure the victory.

At another programme, BNP Standing Committee member Moudud Ahmed said the 'government's misrule' led to the ruling party's defeat in Comilla.

"But 'paddy sheaf' candidate Sakku could secure a victory with a bigger margin if the (Awami League) did not take control of the polling centres, snatch away ballot papers and rig votes," he said.

BNP Vice-Chairman Abdullah Al Noman said the newspapers reported that the ruling party supporters took control of polling stations and snatched away ballot papers.

"But we have won. The BNP supporters in Comilla tricked the Awami League by wearing badges with the ruling party's boat symbol on those to enter the polling stations," he said.

He hoped the BNP would step forward by adopting the same strategy in the next elections.