DHAKA: BNP chairperson’s advisor Dr M Osman Faruk said that his party will not boycott municipality polls.

‘Rather we will stay till the end,’ he added.

He made this assertion on behalf of BNP liaison committee at Election Commission (EC) secretariat in city on Wednesday morning (December 30).

The BNP leader said, ‘At least 60 polling centers were occupied just within two hours the voting. Voters faced bars to go to the polling booths.’

‘The polling agents were ousted and scores of candidates were not allowed to go to the poll centers. Some are calling from Dhaka to the centers. I do not know what kind of actions have taken following the phone calls.’

‘If this is the scenario in the morning, we do not know what will happen at the end (of the polls). We are anxious. May be the government will conduct another rigged election before this one ends.’

According to him, these sorts of rigging will brighten the government’s anti–people and anti–election face.

‘We, as a liaison committee, will stay in the Election Commission (EC) till 2:00pm. We will inform you if the incidents of poll irregularities continue.’

Dr Faruk also alleged that nobody, except Election Commissioner Shah Newaz, was present at the EC until 9:00am.

‘We have informed him about the incidents. He made phone calls and strongly ordered to take action against poll engineering,’ he added.

Among other liaison committee members, Masud Ahmed Khan and DAB secretary general AZM Zahid Hossain were present among others during the conversation.

BDST: 1436 HRS, DEC 30, 2015
AIK/RR/SMS

** BNP delegation at EC