After loss in Khulna city polls, BNP demands chief election commissioner’s resignation

The BNP has rejected the outcome of Khulna City Corporation or KCC polls and demanded the chief election commissioner’s resignation.

“In yesterday’s voting, the illegal government has flexed its muscle. On behalf of the party, I reject the Khulna polls outcome and demand the resignation of the chief election commissioner,” BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said at a media briefing on Wednesday.

The BNP’s formal reaction came a day after Awami League candidate Talukdar Abdul Khalek won the election by taking an unassailable lead of 65,640 votes over his BNP-backed rival, Nazrul Islam Manju.

Rizvi alleged that voters and supporters of paddy sheaf symbol have been harassed in the polling stations and said men of boat symbol had endless domination and reckless movement.

“They in groups have cast fake votes at the different polling stations. At many stations, presiding officers assisted them in vote rigging. They stuffed the ballot boxes with fake votes in minutes. The magistrates allowed it.”

On the Election Commission’s claim that 65 percent of votes were cast during the election, the BNP leader said, “Basically, the voter turnout was less than 30 percent. Many failed to go to the polling stations in the face of obstruction.”