NCP alleges result tampering, planned fraud in multiple Dhaka seats
Asif Mahmud further alleged discrepancies in Dhaka-11, claiming that although NCP candidate Nahid Islam was leading by nearly 6,000 votes, the returning officer showed a margin of only 1,500 votes.
The National Citizen Party (NCP) has alleged widespread "result tampering" and a "planned fraud" in several Dhaka constituencies following the 13th national election.
Speaking at an emergency press conference around 2:20am today (13 February) at Rupayan Tower in Dhaka, NCP spokesperson and party's Central Election Management Committee Chairman Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan said, "Psychological pressure and administrative manipulation were being used to overturn results, particularly in constituencies contested by top leaders of the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance."
Citing Dhaka-13, Dhaka-15, Dhaka-16 and Dhaka-17 as examples, Asif said the party had observed attempts to "alter outcomes in certain seats".
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"In Dhaka-15, where the Jamaat-e-Islami ameer was contesting, there was a consistent margin of 20,000 to 22,000 votes. Suddenly, without any logical explanation, the BNP candidate was declared the winner," he alleged.
Referring to Dhaka-8, he claimed a leaked phone conversation suggested that rejected ballots were included in the final count in favour of BNP candidate Mirza Abbas.
"According to the Representation of the People Order [RPO], if the seal is not placed inside the marker box, the ballot is invalid. But the returning officer, invoking the name of the EC secretary, included those rejected votes in favour of the 'sheaf of paddy' symbol," he said.
The NCP leader also questioned delays in announcing results. "In centres where NCP candidates were leading and counting had ended by 7pm, returning officers withheld the results until midnight. This is an attempt to create an artificial narrative and mislead the public through the media," he said.
He urged the Election Commission to withhold the declaration of results in the disputed constituencies until the allegations are investigated and clear explanations are provided.
Asif Mahmud further alleged discrepancies in Dhaka-11, claiming that although NCP candidate Nahid Islam was leading by nearly 6,000 votes, the returning officer showed a margin of only 1,500 votes. "We have demanded a recount in that seat."
Warning of further action, he said the alliance would hold discussions and announce its final decision and programmes in response to what he described as a "planned conspiracy and result tampering."
