AL says ‘better than ever’; BNP rejects ‘farcical’ polls
The ruling Awami League yesterday claimed that elections to the two Dhaka city corporations were held much more peacefully and better than ever in the past, while BNP said that elections were nothing but a farce.
Briefing at midway of voting hours at Awami League president’s Dhanmondi office, party joint general secretary and information minister Hasan Mahmud said, “A festive environment is prevailing, and voters are exercising their franchise freely. Polls environment is much better than ever in the past.”
He also criticised BNP for “trying to make the election questionable.”
Responding to a query about thin presence of voters, Hasan blamed winter and holiday for the low turnout.
At another briefing after the end of voting hours, the party’s other joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said yesterday’s election through EVM has been “more free, fair and peaceful than any election held in the last 100 years.”
At the press conference, AL presidium member Jahangir Kabir Nanak said there is no need for polling agents during an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM)-only election.
“EVM is a scientific voting system where there is no need for polling agents of any party, as the machine itself works as the guard. If the fingerprint doesn’t match, you can’t vote,” he said replying to a query on BNP’s allegations of driving out their agents from polling centres.
“The EVM is such a sturdy system that it works as polling agents of all parties,” he added.
NO REFLECTION OF PEOPLE’S OPINION: FAKHRUL
Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at a briefing after polling hours at the party’s Nayapaltan said “a farce was staged” in the name of elections to two Dhaka city corporations.
“What was held in the name of elections to Dhaka south and north city corporations was nothing but a farce. There was no scope for reflection of the people’s opinion in the election the way it was held,” he said, adding that the election was not free and fair at all.
BNP yesterday also submitted a written complaint to the Election Commission over irregularities centring the polls.
A BNP delegation led by the party’s standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury handed over the complaint to the commission.
PEOPLE HAVE NO FAITH IN ELECTION SYSTEM: DR KAMAL
After casting his vote at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College yesterday morning, Gonoforum President and Jatiya Oikya Front Convener Dr Kamal Hossain expressed his dissatisfaction over the low number of voters, and hassles of casting votes through EVM.
Talking to reporters there, he said the low turnout shows that voters have no confidence in the election system.
ONLY ONE PARTY ON THE FIELD: EC MAHBUB TALUKDAR
Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar yesterday in a statement said the no party except for one was seen on the voting field.
“The reason behind other parties’ absence in the voting filed is unknown to me,” he said, adding that he was shocked at the violation of the electoral code of conduct after the election schedule was declared.
There is no point of having a code of conduct if no action is taken against its violations, he said in the statement.
He said, “I visited 12 polling centers between 10am to 2pm. I did not find any agent of any other mayor candidates other than those of the ruling party-nominated mayor candidates at any of these 12 centres. Around 10 percent votes were cast since 8am to 1:30pm at these polling centres”.
Mahbub Talukdar, however, said the election was very peaceful, as no clash or bloodshed other than some isolated incidents took place.
The biggest achievement is that 100 percent votes were not cast in the election, and there was not scope to seal ballot boxes the night before election day -- due to the use of EVM in this election, he said.
GOVT HAS FAILED TO HOLD PARTICIPATORY POLLS: CPB
Besides, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) President Mujahidul Islam Selim and its General Secretary Mohammad Shah Alam yesterday said in a statement that the Election Commission and the government have completely failed to hold a participatory election of people in Dhaka city.
“Most people could not got to polling centres and could not cast their votes, as the ruling political party has created panic among the people in various ways. City dwellers have witnessed another new farce staged in the name of voting,” they said.
In their statement, the CPB leaders said the ruling party men have created a fearful environment at most of the polling centres, and frightened people so that they lost their enthusiasm to go to polling centres.