BNP inspired

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia last night said people's verdict in the four city corporation polls justified the opposition demand for a non-partisan government for holding the national election.
She said this while discussing the election results with some party leaders at her Gulshan office, said a BNP leader who was present at the meeting.
The BNP chief congratulated people in the four city corporations and winners of the polls battle.
Buoyed by the victory, some senior BNP leaders echoed Khaleda's view and said the polls results will contribute to intensifying the movement to force the government to install a non-partisan election-time government.
Talking to The Daily Star last night, they said people in the four cities rejected the ruling Awami League's appeal to elect its favourites because of the government's misrule, repression on people, and killing of Hefajat men.
"The election results clearly reflected the public sentiment against the government," said Moudud Ahmed, a member of the national standing committee of BNP.
He said they will translate this victory into victory in the next national election.
"People have given a befitting reply to the government for killing Hefajat men," said Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.
Mosharraf, also a member of the standing committee, said the opposition will now realise its core demand for a non-partisan polls-time government.
Nazrul Islam Khan, another standing committee member of the main opposition party, said people voted against the government's misrule and politicisation of the administration.
Earlier in the day, some senior BNP leaders threatened the government with dire consequences if opposition-blessed mayoral aspirants were defeated through "unfair means" in the polls to four city corporations.
At a series of press conferences at the party central office at Naya Paltan in the city, the BNP leaders alleged that there were various “anomalies” in the polls.
The leaders included BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas, spokesperson of the party Shamsuzzaman Dudu and Joint Secretary General Rizvy Ahmed.
As the BNP leaders kept on briefing the media, security around the party office was beefed up with deployment of additional police force. Plain clothes cops with arms were seen standing at the main entrance to the office from 1:00pm.
They did not prevent top or mid-level BNP leaders from entering the party office. But activists of the party and its front organisations were not allowed to enter the office.
Earlier, a BNP House team had lodged a written complaint with the EC about various irregularities, including intimidation and forcible ouster of polling agents at different places in the four city corporations.
Asked, DMP Assistant Commissioner of Motijheel Division Md Saifur Rahman said they did not prevent any BNP leaders from entering their office. Pointing at Abdus Salam, BNP city unit member-secretary, who was entering the party office, he said, " Now you see whether their [BNP] claim is true. We just want to ensure that no undesirable incident takes place centring the elections.”