In 4am press briefing, Jamaat accuses EC of 'abnormal delays', result tampering, warns of tough movement
The allegations were made by Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair.
Jamaat-e-Islami has raised serious allegations over "abnormal delays" in the announcement of election results and accused officials of altering signed result sheets, warning of a tough movement if the public mandate is "snatched away".
The party claimed that in several constituencies, including Dhaka-15 and Dhaka-17, there were attempts to change results to favour a "particular party".
The allegations were made by Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair after he met Election Commission (EC) officials at the commission building around 4am on Friday (13 February). He spoke to reporters following the meeting.
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Zubair said, "In the seats contested by our top leaders, the results should have been declared by 8pm or 9pm according to the signed sheets given to polling agents. But the returning officers are causing unusual delays."
Alleging irregularities in Dhaka-17, he added, "In the Dhaka-17 constituency, the signed sheet was later changed and overwritten, and nearly 5,000 votes were reduced."
Referring to Dhaka-15, where Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman is a candidate, Zubair said the party's contender was leading by at least 20,000 votes.
"There is a delay in announcing results from 129 polling centres, while results in other major constituencies have been declared quickly. We believe this delay and manipulation are being done to benefit a particular party," he said.
Warning of movement
The Jamaat leader also warned of movements if the alleged irregularities continued.
"People of this country have shed blood against fascism. In this new Bangladesh, achieved in exchange for the blood of 1,400 martyrs, if public opinion is ignored again in an authoritarian manner, the people will not accept it. We will not bow to any conspiracy. If necessary, we will launch a tough movement," he said.
He added that candidates in several constituencies were preparing to take legal action.
Issuing a warning to the commission, he said, "The current commission should act responsibly so that it does not face an undesirable situation like past commissions."
The party further said it was closely monitoring the situation and would announce further programmes after consulting its top leaders.
