Jatiya Oikyafront Convener Dr Kamal Hossain yesterday said the alliance is fully united.

He, however, did not say whether his party's (Gonoforum's) two MPs-elect will join parliament.

"Our Jatiya Oikyafront is cent percent united. Our unity is forged with the country's 16 crore people," he said.

He came up with the remarks while addressing a preparatory meeting of the Gonoforum for its 5th national council at the party's Arambagh central office.

"I visited many places and found our alliance's unity intact and it'll be consolidated in the days to come."

The Oikyafront chief said people now believe they are the owners of the country and its resources.

He called upon all to organise and remain alert so that no one can embezzle or waste the country's resources. "We must remain aware of evil and anti-people forces who want to misappropriate our assets."

Dr Kamal said a national unity can protect people's interests and their ownership of the state.

Asked about the maiden session of the 11th parliament, the Oikyafront convener said they will come up with their statement on the issue later.

Asked whether Gonoforum's two MPs-elect will take oath, he said, "It's not the right issue to discuss here. We'll talk about the issue later at a press conference. Now we're talking about giving the national unity an institutional shape."

Dr Kamal called upon people to get organised across the country so that Oikyafront can play an effective role in protecting the national interests.

Gonoforum's fifth council will be held on March 23 and 24 in the capital.

There were no polling agents of main opposition parties anywhere throughout Dhaka. The Daily Star went about several constituencies in the capital, but could only find polling agents of Awami League everywhere wearing the badge of the ‘boat’.

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The Daily Star visited Kakoli High School, Dhaka City College, Teachers’ Training College, Dhaka College, University Laboratory School and College, Dhanmondi Government Boys School and College, New Model School and College voting centres.

While plenty of ‘boat’ supporters were seen displaying badges, only the centre at Dhaka City College, where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cast her vote, had one or two polling agents of ‘Tiger’ and ‘hand fan’ there.

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The Daily Star visited Mohammadpur Government Primary School, Mohammadpur Girls High School, Rayerbazar Community Centre, Shyamoli Ideal Technical Institue, and Primrose Kindergarden polling stations in the constituency which is witnessing electronic voting for the first time.

There too, no opposition polling agents could be seen anywhere. However, ruling party supporters and polling agents were found roaming around aplenty.

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The Daily Star visited Ispahani School, Viquarunnisa Noon School, and Tejgaon Govt Girls High School voting centres. No polling agents other than those from the ruling Awami League could be seen there in the morning.

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The Daily Star visited five polling centres including Rashid Ideal High School, Al Quran Academy, and Bangabndhu College to find only one polling agent of the ‘sheaf of paddy’ who did not seem very convincing.

Shafiqur Rahman, who claims to have been driven out of Bangabandhu College, alleged that false BNP polling agents were filled in Shahidbagh Girls School. "I was supposed to provide polling agents there. But this morning, it was already filled."

Two lawmakers-elect of the Gonoforum may take oath and join the 11th parliament, Dr Kamal Hossain said yesterday. 

"We've rejected the election, but the way our two candidates came out successful in such an election through competition is their big achievement. So, we're thinking positively about sending them to parliament," said the Gonoforum chief.

He was addressing a press briefing at Bangladesh Shishu Kalyan Parishad after an extended meeting of the party.

Later, Gonoforum leader Sultan Mohammad Munsur, who was elected from Moulvibazar-2, told this correspondent that he and his party colleague Mukabbir Khan, elected from Sylhet-2, will take oath as lawmakers of 11th parliament.

Gonoforum is a key component of the Jatiya Oikyafront, which earlier had termed the parliamentary polls a farce and demanded the Election Commission immediately hold a fresh election under a nonpartisan interim government.

“We reject this so-called result. At the same time, we demand fresh polls under a nonpartisan government,” Dr Kamal, also convener of the Oikyafront, told the press hours after the polling was over at 4:00pm on December 30.

The BNP, another major component of the Oikyafront, said the next day that its leaders elected in the 11th parliamentary polls will not take oath as they have already rejected the results.

The party took the decision at a meeting of its standing committee alleging various irregularities and violations, including ballot stuffing and ouster of opposition polling agents, from voting centres.

Contacted yesterday, Mirza Fakhrul refused to make any comment on the Gonoforum's latest position.

“I am in Noakhali and I am not aware of any such decision. That's why I don't want to make any comment on this,” Fakhrul told this correspondent.

Another Oikyafront leader Mahmudur Rahman Manna, who is also coordinator of Nagorik Oikya, told The Daily Star that the alliance leaders will sit at 11:00am today to decide whether its MPs-elect will take oath.

This is the first time any Gonoforum leader won in the national election since formation of the party in 1999. 

At yesterday's briefing, Dr Kamal said the two leaders of the party can play a positive and meaningful role in parliament after taking oath.

“If others think it won't be possible for them to play a good role in parliament, they may take a decision in line with that thinking.” 

In reply to a query, Dr Kamal said he thinks it will not create any problem with the BNP if the two MPs-elect take oath.

“I think the Jatiya Oikyafront will remain intact to create pressure on the government,” he said.

“We've formed the Oikyafront so that we can realise our demand for a free and fair election. We believe that if Oikyafront functions effectively, we'll be able to mount pressure on the government over the election and force it to discharge its duties obeying laws.”

The Gonoforum chief said that in principle, the party is in favour of keeping the unity and will take a positive decision in this regard after discussions.

He added that the Oikyafront has kept its movement on and it may be intensified further in the days to come.

Replying to a question, he said they may move the court over the election if they get the evidence of serious Electoral fraud.

In the December 30 polls, 280 candidates of Oikyafront and BNP-led 20-party alliance ran with BNP's electoral symbol “sheaf of paddy”.

The Oikyafront managed to win only seven seats and two of those were bagged by Gonoforum candidates.

The AL-led grand alliance secured 288 seats. JP, a key component of the alliance, bagged 22. Independent candidates got three.

The election in Gaibandha-3 constituency was rescheduled for January 27 following the death of a candidate, and re-polling will take place in three centres in Brahmanbaria-2 on January 9.

Gonoforum leader Mukabbir Khan had initially quit the race as he was denied nomination from the Oikyafront.

The alliance nominated missing BNP leader Ilias Ali's wife Tahsina Rushdir Luna. But she lost her candidacy following a High Court order.

It then called back Mukabbir to contest in the election as BNP candidate. He contested the polls with Gonoforum's electoral symbol “rising sun”.

Munsur won from Moulvibazar-2 with BNP's symbol “sheaf of paddy”. 

On October 13, BNP and three other political parties formally launched an alliance called Jatiya Oikyafront, around two months before the national election.

The alliance unveiled an 11-point goal and promised to bring sweeping reforms in governance system if voted to power.

Three other components of the alliance are Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) led by ASM Abdur Rob, Manna's Nagorik Oikya, and Krishak Sramik Janata League led by Kader Siddique.

Rob and Kader could not be reached for comments.

At yesterday's briefing, Gonoforum General Secretary Mostafa Mohsin Montu in a written statement described the way the December 30 election was manipulated and rigged.

So, he said, those declared winner by the Election Commission were not actually “elected”.

International media widely covered yesterday's national election that saw deadly clashes and accusations of vote rigging.

In a news report, the Associated Press said it received more than 50 calls from people across Bangladesh, who identified themselves as opposition supporters.

They complained of intimidation and threats, and being forced to vote in front of ruling party men inside polling booths, it mentioned.

"Hasina's use of the state machinery to subjugate the opposition virtually ensures her electoral victory," Sasha Riser-Kositsky, a South Asia analyst for the New York-based Eurasia Group, told AP.

Minutes before the polls opened, a BBC correspondent saw filled ballot boxes at a polling centre in Chittagong city. The presiding officer declined to comment.

Only the ruling party's polling agents were present there and several other polling centres in the port city.

BBC's South Asia Regional Editor Anbarasan Ethirajan said if the opposition's claims of widespread vote rigging are proved, then it will likely to raise questions over the credibility of the election process and the legitimacy of the new government, according to a BBC report.

The Guardian in its report headlined “Bangladesh opposition reject 'farcical' election and demand new vote”, mentioned that dozens of candidates pulled out, claiming the ruling Awami League rigged the country's first contested election in a decade.

The Election Commission told Reuters that it was investigating allegations of vote rigging coming from across the country.

“Allegations are coming from across the country and those are under investigation,” SM Asaduzzaman, a spokesman for the EC, told the news agency.

The Economic Times of India reported that the voting in a tense election to choose a new government in Bangladesh ended amid allegations of manipulations by ruling party men.

The Times of India highlighted the introduction of EVMs in six parliamentary constituencies for the first time in a general election, a move which received mixed responses from the voters amid reports of glitches at some booths.