Partisan government can’t hold free election, says BNP’s Alal

BNP Joint Secretary General Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal has claimed that the 11th national elections were nothing short of a ‘charade’ that proves a fair election cannot be conducted by a partisan government.

On Sunday, BNP representatives went to the Election Commission with complaints of vote rigging halfway through the polls and allegations that ‘paddy sheaf’ agents were being driven out of voting centres occupied by rivals.

“We now believe that there was no need to stage such a farce in the guise of an election,” said Alal.

“The president may just as well have published a ‘boat’ victory in the 299 constituencies in a gazette. We wouldn’t have been surprised by that,” he said.

Despite their calls for a neutral government to oversee the election going unheeded, the BNP decided to contest the polls to uphold the democracy in the country, said Alal.

“Even though all parties are participating in the election, there have been many obstacles to our participation in some areas. It has proven our belief that a free and fair election cannot be conducted by a partisan government.

“It was said that the BNP would fall behind if we didn’t take part in the elections. We were optimistic at the start but soon realised that there was no chance of a fair and free election under the Awami League government,” he added

“The day we heard of the Election Commission’s decision to put all hospitals, doctors and ambulances on standby, on the day of the election in a move that is unprecedented in all the country’s electoral history, we knew that we were heading towards a violent election," said Alal, who was not contesting for any parliamentary seat in Sunday's national polls

“Voters were not being allowed to enter polling centres. They were being told to cast their ballots for the ‘boat’ or seals would be stamped on their behalf. This is being done particularly with the help of over-excited law enforcers.”

While the BNP was optimistic on the morning of the polls, their hopes were dashed by noon, said Alal.

The BNP has lodged a complaint with the election commission in which they alleged that several irregularities occurred in 221 out of the total 299 constituencies.

“We believe that those who are responsible for turning this much-awaited election into a joke, those who have injured people, they have made the hearts of the people of Bangladesh bleed. They took a chance for voters to feel empowered and ground it into dust.” 

According to the BNP’s written complaint, around 400 to 500 ballot boxes were stuffed with the aid of law-enforcement agencies and voting officers.

‘Paddy sheaf’ agents in nearly 250 constituencies were stopped from doing their duties, it adds.