A Chhatra League leader attacked the BNP candidate for Narayanganj-3 constituency Azharul Islam Mannan at a law and order meeting on electoral code of conduct at Sonargaon upazila parishad today.

Mannan told The Daily Star that the Chhatra League leader Ikramul Hasan alias Rony Billah entered the Upazila Parishad conference room and attacked him in presence of the OC and the UNO. 

He said Rony Billah hit him with water bottle, suffocated him and tried to hit with iron rod.  He said, later police rescued him.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Assistant Returning Officer Md Shahinul Islam, Sonargaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge Morshed Alam and eight candidates were present at the meeting. 

Police arrested Rony Billah, son of Nasiruddin of Bhattapur village, and later a mobile court jailed him for three months, the UNO said.

AL men foil Rob, Manna’s electioneering

The electioneering of Jatiya Oikyafront candidate for Dhaka-18, Shaheed Uddin Mahmud, is hindered allegedly by the activists of Awami League-led 14-party grand alliance on Thursday, December 13, 2018. The photo shows that after been bared by the AL men, Rob and Manna deliver speeches and instruct the party men on polls day.

The electioneering of Jatiya Oikyafront candidate for Dhaka-18, Shaheed Uddin Mahmud, was hindered allegedly by the activists of Awami League-led 14-party grand alliance this afternoon.

JSD President ASM Abdur Rob and Nagoric Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna along with a number of their followers started the election campaign in Uttar Khan area of the constituency.

At one stage, the ruling Awami League men also swarmed Rob and Manna around and started chanting slogans for “Boat,” and also chased them, our staff reporter reports quoting the Oikyafront leaders.

On information, police rushed to the spot and took the situation under control by taking the Oikyafront leaders to a safe place.

Shaheed Uddin Mahmud, also the leader of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, is contesting the polls with “Sheaf of Paddy” against his counterpart Awami League nominated candidate advocate Sahara Khatun in the parliamentary constituency.

After been bared by the AL men, Rob and Manna equivocally claimed that their candidates are being hindered by the ruling quarter deliberately.

They also urged the voters and their supporters to guard the polling centres from the early hour of the voting day.

BNP candidate’s motorcade attacked in Noakhali

Besides, the motorcade of BNP nominated candidate for Noakhali-6 constituency, Engineer Mohammad Fazlul Azim came under attack allegedly by Awami League men this evening.

At least 15 leaders and activists from both the ruling and opposition camps were injured during the attack, reports our Noakhali correspondent.

A group of ruling party men attacked his motorcade and snatched three motorcycles of his followers away when he was carrying out the electioneering in Thanar hat area of Nolerchar union, Azim alleged.

The Awami League men also carried out another attack on his party men at Darbesh Bazar in Chandi union without any provocation, leaving some of his party men injured, he alleged.       

The injured activists were given primary treatment at different local hospitals, claimed Azim. 

Meanwhile, AL nominated candidate for the same constituency, Ayesha Ferdous, said BNP candidate and its followers started election campaign equipped with “firearms” and delivered provocative speeches.

M Ilias Sharif, superintendent of police in Noakhali, said a chase and counter took place between the supporters of AL and BNP candidates as provocative speeches came from both the camps.

On information, police went there and brought the situation under control.

Seven MPs-elect of Jatiya Oikyafront yesterday refrained from taking oath and the alliance claimed that ruling party men had stuffed the boxes with “30 to 60” percent of the ballots the night before the polls.

Hours after 289 newly elected lawmakers took oath at the parliament complex yesterday, an eight-member delegation led by Oikyafront spokesperson Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir went to the Election Commission and handed over a memorandum to Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda.

In the memorandum, the alliance also alleged that the administration was blatantly used against the people. It was a "breach of trust and the voters were deceived”, the Oikyafront said.

"This election is a cruel mockery of the people,” Fakhrul, also the BNP secretary general, told reporters afterwards.

"There is no question of taking oath as we have rejected the results,” he said replying to a query about whether the seven lawmakers-elect would take oath.

Raising allegations of widespread ballot stuffing and irregularities, Oikyafront rejected the results of Sunday's polls and demanded immediate national election under a nonpartisan neutral government.

The alliance yesterday submitted some “evidence of election-related anomalies and undue influence since the announcement of election schedule”.

"We've submitted evidence to the commission. We hope they [commission] will review those,” Fakhrul said. "The nation was pushed into darkness through this cruel drama in the name of election.”

The AL rowdies with the help of law enforcers forced all shops to close across the country before 9:00pm the night before the election to create a ghostly atmosphere, the memorandum said.

After stuffing the ballot boxes at night, they cast false votes during election day and voters were forced to vote for boat, it said.

It said ballot papers in almost all polling centres ran out by noon and in many cases polling officials took lunch breaks.

The night before the polls, AL men terrorised voters and threatened them with dire consequences if they went to vote, the Oikyafront claimed, adding that the AL men showed off their muscle power at intersections to intimidate voters.

“Law enforcers did not take any steps when help was sought.”

Counting of votes began before 4:00pm at many places, the Oikyafront said, adding that the EC's role was mysterious.

It said the EC and the courts cancelled candidature of 18 Oikyafront candidates and at least 16 other candidates were arrested.

There was no change in the civil and police administration. Judicial and executive magistrates were made inactive, it claimed.

“The media and the social media were controlled and the army was made inactive,” it said.

The EC must take the responsibilities of depriving the people of the country from exercising their right to vote, it said.

BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan, Moyeen Khan, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) President ASM Abdur Rob, Krishak Sramik Janata League President Kader Siddique, Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna and Gono Forum leader Mostofa Mohsin Mantu were in the Oikyafront delegation.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's petitions seeking the Supreme Court's permission to contest the December 30 polls may not be heard before the election, as the court, which is now on annual vacation, will reopen on January 2.

Besides, the chamber judge of the Appellate Division is scheduled to sit on the bench to deal with urgent cases on December 31.

In such a situation, lawyers cannot move Khaleda's three petitions before the SC until Election Day. As a result, the BNP chief cannot run for the polls, Khaleda's lawyers told The Daily Star yesterday, seeking anonymity.

Khaleda will not be benefited if the petitions are moved before the SC after the election, one of the three lawyers said.

As the SC is yet to hear Khaleda's petitions that seek stay on the High Court orders, the HC orders disqualifying her for contesting the polls are now in force, he added.

Advocate AJ Mohammad Ali, principal lawyer for Khaleda's case, refused to make any comment regarding this when The Daily Star contacted him over phone.

On Monday, Khaleda filed the three petitions to the SC seeking a stay on the HC orders on her nomination papers' cancellations.

In the petitions, Khaleda prayed to the apex court to direct the Election Commission to accept her nomination papers, to allow her to contest the December 30 polls, and to allocate the “sheaf of paddy” as her election symbol.

The HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan passed the order saying if a person was convicted and sentenced to more than two years in prison for moral turpitude, they were not eligible to participate in polls for five years after serving jail term.

On December 11, the HC bench of Justice Refaat and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir Lytton passed split orders on the three petitions. The next day, the chief justice assigned the bench of Justice Hassan to dispose them.

Khaleda was sent to jail on February 8 after a special court in Dhaka sentenced her to five years' imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. On October 29, she was sentenced in another corruption case, bringing her total jail term up to 10 years.

Two makeshift election campaign camps of the local BNP candidate in Meherpur have been vandalised.

BNP candidate of Meherpur-2 constituency, Javed Masud Milton blamed ruling Awami League for it, our Kushtia correspondent reports.

He alleged, ruling party activists led by local UP Member Liton Hosen vandalized two of his election camps in Chatian and Bamundi areas.

He claimed, he did not get any help from police or the returning officer of the area to this end.

UP Member Liton has denied his involvement and said he did not know who were behind the attacks.

Shukumar Biswas, officer-in-charge of Gangni Police Station, said that nobody filed any complaint over the incidents.