Election Commissioner Rafiqul Islam today said that the law enforcers may “shoot if it is necessary” in order to prevent any untoward incident during the Kanchan Municipality elections to be held on July 25.

The election commissioner came up with the remark while addressing a view-exchange meeting on law and order situation ahead of the election at Rupganj Upazila Parishad auditorium in Narayanganj this afternoon, reports our local correspondent.

“Cooperation from all the candidates is needed for holding Kanchan Municipality polls in a free and fair manner. The authorities will take stern measure to prevent any untoward incident or any attempt to create violence during the polls,” he said.

“Do not hesitate to direct the law enforcers to shoot if it is necessary,” he told the authorities concerned.

“Immediate steps will be taken by the law enforcers if voters come up with any allegation against the supporters or agents of any candidate of trying to intimidate the voters,” EC Rafiqul also said.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Narayanganj Md Jashim Uddin, Additional Superintendent of Police Mamunur Rashid, District Election Officer and Returning Officer Matiur Rahman, and Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mamtaj Begum, were present at the meeting among others.

Seven MPs-elect of Jatiya Oikyafront yesterday refrained from taking oath and the alliance claimed that ruling party men had stuffed the boxes with “30 to 60” percent of the ballots the night before the polls.

Hours after 289 newly elected lawmakers took oath at the parliament complex yesterday, an eight-member delegation led by Oikyafront spokesperson Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir went to the Election Commission and handed over a memorandum to Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda.

In the memorandum, the alliance also alleged that the administration was blatantly used against the people. It was a "breach of trust and the voters were deceived”, the Oikyafront said.

"This election is a cruel mockery of the people,” Fakhrul, also the BNP secretary general, told reporters afterwards.

"There is no question of taking oath as we have rejected the results,” he said replying to a query about whether the seven lawmakers-elect would take oath.

Raising allegations of widespread ballot stuffing and irregularities, Oikyafront rejected the results of Sunday's polls and demanded immediate national election under a nonpartisan neutral government.

The alliance yesterday submitted some “evidence of election-related anomalies and undue influence since the announcement of election schedule”.

"We've submitted evidence to the commission. We hope they [commission] will review those,” Fakhrul said. "The nation was pushed into darkness through this cruel drama in the name of election.”

The AL rowdies with the help of law enforcers forced all shops to close across the country before 9:00pm the night before the election to create a ghostly atmosphere, the memorandum said.

After stuffing the ballot boxes at night, they cast false votes during election day and voters were forced to vote for boat, it said.

It said ballot papers in almost all polling centres ran out by noon and in many cases polling officials took lunch breaks.

The night before the polls, AL men terrorised voters and threatened them with dire consequences if they went to vote, the Oikyafront claimed, adding that the AL men showed off their muscle power at intersections to intimidate voters.

“Law enforcers did not take any steps when help was sought.”

Counting of votes began before 4:00pm at many places, the Oikyafront said, adding that the EC's role was mysterious.

It said the EC and the courts cancelled candidature of 18 Oikyafront candidates and at least 16 other candidates were arrested.

There was no change in the civil and police administration. Judicial and executive magistrates were made inactive, it claimed.

“The media and the social media were controlled and the army was made inactive,” it said.

The EC must take the responsibilities of depriving the people of the country from exercising their right to vote, it said.

BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan, Moyeen Khan, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) President ASM Abdur Rob, Krishak Sramik Janata League President Kader Siddique, Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna and Gono Forum leader Mostofa Mohsin Mantu were in the Oikyafront delegation.

The schedule for the 11th Jatiya Sangsad election will be announced in October, Election Commissioner Rafiqul Islam said yesterday. 

He made the comment while addressing a press conference on demarcations of parliamentary constituencies at Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon.

”The Election Commission has brought changes in 25 out of 300 parliamentary constituencies.

But no changes have been made in constituencies of Dhaka," he said.

The boundaries of constituencies that changed are: Nilphamari-3 and-4, Rangpur-1 and-3, Kurigram-3 and-4, Sirajganj-1 and-2, Khulna-3 and-4, Jamalpur-4 and-5, Narayanganj-4 and-5, Sylhet-2 and-3, Moulvibazar-2 and-4, Brahmanbaria-5 and-6, Comilla-6,-9 and-10 and Noakhali-4 and-5.

On March 14, the EC published the draft of new demarcations of 300 parliamentary seats with changes to 38 constituencies. Later, the commission received appeals relating to the draft.

Some 407 appeals were made. Later, hearings on the appeals were held. 

The BNP high command has directed the party candidates of Sunday's polls to collect centre-wise results and information on “election anomalies” by today.

The party will compile all the data and submit them to the Election Commission soon, its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told The Daily Star yesterday.

On Monday night, the Jatiya Oikyafront leaders decided to submit a memorandum to the EC on December 3 compiling information on all “polls irregularities”.

Fakhrul will hold a meeting with the candidates at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office tomorrow morning, said Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, senior joint secretary general of the party.

A letter was sent to each of the candidates yesterday asking them to provide eight types of information, including on election anomalies, arrests and killings of BNP men, to the party, he said.

The ruling Awami League secured a landslide victory in Sunday's polls. The Oikyafront, led by the BNP and several other parties, rejected the result and demand a reelection.

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda ruled out the demand saying there was no scope for holding any fresh election.

The BNP high command would prepare a summary report and brief foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka following the compilation of data on the centre-wise results and alleged polls anomalies, said a party source.

The high command was observing the overall situation and the reaction of the international community over the election.

Asked about the party's next course of action, a senior leader said they would not do anything hurriedly. 

“We will take some time as the party leaders and activists are devastated by government repression. We will certainly devise our next course of action once we turn around,” BNP Standing Committee member Moudud Ahmed said.

The BNP high-ups have already decided that MPs elected from the party would not take oath as they have rejected the results alleging various polls irregularities, including ballot-stuffing and driving away of their polling agents.

A senior leader from the Oikyafront wishing anonymity said the main challenge for the BNP was to keep the unity within the combine and the 20-party alliance intact.

The Oikyafront nominated candidates in 299 constituencies, only seven of them won.