BNP demands fresh city polls
BNP yesterday demanded that the Election Commission cancel the April 28 city corporation elections and hold those again.
“If the city polls are not cancelled, the people will give a fitting reply to the Awami League government. It will face dire consequences,” said BNP standing committee member Brig Gen (retd) ASM Hannan Shah.
He was talking to reporters after placing wreaths at the grave of former president Ziaur Rahman in the capital, marking the founding anniversary of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, labour front of BNP.
BNP-backed mayoral candidates in Dhaka north, south and Chittagong city corporations boycotted the April 28 election midway through, alleging “widespread rigging”.
Hannan Shah said different quarters were asking why they did not go for immediate action after the boycott. “In reply, we want to say that we protested silently and that was the right thing to do.”
He said massive irregularities, rigging, and ruling party people's threats to the opposition activists proved what would happen if a parliamentary election was held under this government.
“We also got a clear idea from the April 28 election rigging what the Sheikh Hasina-led government did in the January 5, 2014 national vote.”
Replying to a question, he said the leaders of BNP-led 20-party alliance would sit down “soon” to fix its next course of action regarding the anti-government movement.
Asked about the possible course of action, he said, "...you will have to wait to know that.”
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