BNP expresses concern over incidents surrounding upcoming polls, calls CEC to take action

BNP has expressed concern over several incidents surrounding the upcoming 13th national parliament election, terming the overall election environment and certain specific activities as 'unethical, illegal and obstacles to a fair election.'

BNP Standing Committee member and Chairman of the Election Steering Committee Nazrul Islam Khan voiced the concerns at a press conference held at the BNP Chairman's political office in Gulshan this evening (14 January).

He drew everyone's attention to reports of a political party's activities. "A political party is going door-to-door in the Dhaka metropolis, other metropolitan areas, and electoral constituencies, specifically targeting poor and less-educated voters, and collecting photocopies of their NID cards, phone numbers, and bKash numbers," he alleged. 

"This has never happened before. We have participated in many elections but have never seen this. It is being done this time," he said.

Expressing apprehension, he said, "We fear that they might create fake NIDs to cast fraudulent votes, and by obtaining their bKash numbers, they could try to lure them with money to vote in their favour."

He described such activities not only as unethical but also illegal and an obstruction to holding a fair election. "Although the matter has been published and broadcast on social media and traditional media, the Election Commission has not taken any steps regarding it," he said. 

"We spoke with the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners yesterday. There we expressed our concerns on this matter. But we do not know what measures have been taken so far," said the senior BNP leader. 

He demanded that the Election Commission take prompt and effective measures to prevent such 'crimes' and if anyone does it, legal action should be taken against them.

Nazrul Islam raised serious allegations against the Election Commission regarding the layout of postal ballot papers.

He claimed, "The postal ballot paper has been designed with five columns and 14 lines, which is not mentioned in the election laws or rules. Due to this layout, the 'Daripalla (Scale)', 'Water Lily (Shapla)', and 'Hand Fan (Hatpakha)' symbols are on the first line, whereas the BNP's 'Paddy Sheaf (Dhaner Shis)' symbol has been placed around the middle of the last line."

"We believe this did not happen by chance. This is not a random occurrence. It is intentional," he said.

Nazrul Islam said that when the ballot paper is folded, the BNP's symbol ends up exactly in the middle crease, and when folded, the symbol cannot be seen fully. He mentioned that the top part of the 'paddy sheaf' appears on one side and the bottom part on the other.

"The Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners have expressed ignorance on this matter and said the symbols were arranged alphabetically," he said. 

He added, "We told them that it should definitely be arranged alphabetically. But if it were not five columns but four columns or six columns. If it were not 14 lines but 13 lines or 15 lines. Then it wouldn't have been the way it is now."

"But what is the purpose of making exactly five columns and 14 lines and putting three specific political parties on the first line? This did not happen by chance," he questioned. 

Nazrul Islam said that research worldwide has shown that solely due to the position of the symbol, 1 to 10 percent of votes can swing. Mentioning that postal ballots have not been distributed within the country yet and there is sufficient time, he demanded a reprint of the postal ballot papers.

He raised allegations of irregularities regarding postal ballots abroad. He said a seven-minute video has gone viral showing work being done with more than 200 ballot papers at the residence of a political party leader in Bahrain.

"The ballot paper is a trust of yours. No one other than me has the right to see my ballot paper. This is not only improper. It is illegal," he said.

He further stated that in a garage in Oman, a person named Humayun Kabir, who he claims is a political party activist, was seen working with many ballot papers on top of a car.

"We suspect that it has been caught in these two places, but similar games or potential manipulation of ballot papers using the same tactics might be happening or could happen in other countries as well," he said.

Nazrul Islam demanded that the Election Commission investigate such incidents and punish the culprits. "And if such news continues to come from other countries, then the entire process of election through postal ballots will become questionable," he added. 

The BNP leader mentioned the 'double standards' and 'bias' of the Election Commission and election officials in applying the electoral code of conduct.

He said several BNP candidates have been cautioned for speeches by ordinary members or family members at election rallies, which they have accepted. However, he claimed that even after committing similar acts, no action is being taken against candidates, important leaders, and even top leaders of other parties.

Nazrul Islam cited the example of the BNP Chairman's personal tour, which was postponed until 22 January at the request of the Election Commission, even though it was not an election tour.

"Where we are so enthusiastic about maintaining the electoral environment, we certainly could expect that everyone will work to maintain peace, order, and the electoral environment by following the electoral code of conduct. Unfortunately, that is not happening," he said.

"This indifference of the Election Commission or the apathy of election officials is creating obstacles in establishing a fair election environment," he added.

The BNP Standing Committee member said that BNP has repeatedly stated that they want a level playing field in the election, equal opportunity for all.

"Whether the party is big or small, whether the individual is powerful or not, whether holding a position or an ordinary citizen, everyone needs a level playing field in the election," he said.

Reminding everyone of BNP's history of struggle to establish democracy, he said, "If anyone can claim credit for re-establishing democracy in Bangladesh, it is the BNP. We freed the country from one-party military rule and brought back multi-party democracy."

"This time too, for almost 17-18 years, we have been fighting relentlessly. Many of our associates have been arrested, killed, persecuted and tortured in false cases. But despite that, we want a peaceful election acceptable to all, involving everyone," added Nazrul Islam.

He assured the people of the country that BNP is working so that those who have not been able to vote for many years can exercise their voting rights peacefully, securely, and in an orderly manner.

It is noteworthy that the Election Commission has not yet given any official reaction to these allegations, he added.