Tuku set new record of vote rigging

Former Awami League leader Prof Abu Sayeed yesterday raised allegations of "unprecedented vote rigging" during the January 5 elections in Pabna-1 constituency, from which he contested independently and lost to former state minister for home Shamsul Haque Tuku.
“There were many records of vote rigging in the previous elections in the country, but the one by former state minister for home Shamsul Haque Tuku and his supporters broke the record of even the Ershad regime's,” he told the media at Dhaka Reporters Unity.
Vividly portraying the process of stealing votes by Tuku's followers through a presentation, Prof Sayeed, also former state minister for information, said the election officials and local administrations "directly assisted Tuku in the rigging".
Alluding to Tuku, he urged the government not to let such lawmakers in parliament, which, he said, would be "stigmatised" if it does so. Prof Sayeed demanded an investigation into the rigging and a re-election to the constituency (Santhia and Bera upazilas).
He also observed that even a non-party caretaker government could not hold a fair election if the "administration is politicised". He demanded effective and proper changes in the structure of the interim government for holding fair and transparent elections.