15-20% vote cast in Khulna city polls; rigged to make 48%: BNP

The metropolitan BNP has claimed that only 15 to 20% votes were cast in the Khulna City Corporation (KCC) election, which was manipulated to raise to 48%.

The BNP leaders made these allegations in a press conference at the party office at 12pm on Wednesday. The press conference was called to make the march programme successful which is scheduled to be held next Friday at 3pm in front of the party office to demand an end to police harassment.

Shafiqul Alam Mona, convenor of Khulna Metropolitan BNP, said in the press conference that EVM is a machine where everything can be pre-determined. The same thing happened in Khulna where 15% to 20% votes cast but were rigged to show 48%.

He further criticised the election and said that on the day of polling, most of the newspapers said that no one was going to the centre to vote. Few voters were seen till 2pm.

"At the end of the election, the chief election commissioner said that 42 to 45% of the votes were cast. In the results, we saw that they declared 48% votes. It is done by sheer manipulation," said the BNP leader.

He expressed his dissatisfaction with the persistent power cuts in Khulna following the election.

He highlighted that there were no power outages in Khulna city during the election period, thanks to the efforts of the newly elected mayor. However, shortly after the election, the problem of load shedding resurfaced. As a result, the local residents have been adversely affected, with some falling ill due to the intense heat caused by the power disruptions.

Claiming that the ongoing movement of BNP is succeeding, he said that the people of the country are eagerly waiting to get back their right to vote and democracy. "That is why they are responding to BNP's movement," he added.

Calling upon the police administration to perform their duties with professionalism to protect the interests of the country, he said BNP's movement for 10-point demands including elections under a non-partisan government is going on.

While the ongoing peaceful democratic movement is being conducted peacefully across the country, the situation in Khulna has regrettably devolved into anarchy due to the actions of corrupt forces of the government by filling cases of absenteeism, attacks, and unwarranted harassment of leaders and activists in their own homes.

Leaders of BNP and its affiliated organisations including city BNP leader SM Abdur Rahman, Syeda Rehena Isa Abul Kalam, Kazi Mahmud Ali, Chowdhury Shafiqul Islam, Sher Alam, Mahbub Hasan, Sheikh Sadi, Humayun Kabir, Syed Sajjad Ahsan, Mizanur Rahman were present at the press conference.