The BNP faces a tough challenge ahead of the Gazipur City Corporation election as many of its leaders and activists in the city have gone into hiding following the filing of a vandalism case against them.

Delay in holding the Gazipur polls and the filing of the “false” lawsuit against BNP men over an incident of vandalism in Tongi on May 6 were part of a strategy to keep the party away from the election race, said a number party leaders.

They claimed that those, who were active in electioneering for the BNP-nominated candidate Hasan Uddin Sarker, have been on the run since the case was filed against them on May 7.

“It was an evil design by the government to keep me away from party leaders and activists. Those who were in the election convening committee were accused in the case,” Hasan told this newspaper yesterday.

“It was done to create panic among the party men.”

A couple of hours after the High Court stayed the Gazipur city polls on May 6, police raided areas adjacent to Hasan's house and arrested 13 BNP leaders. The following day, Tongi police filed a case against 103 BNP men, including the 13.

Most of the accused were involved in electioneering and are closely associated with Hasan.

Talking to this correspondent, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “Whatever happened centering the Gazipur polls over the last few days was nothing but a drama.

“We now face a new challenge as a case was filed against BNP leaders and activists in Gazipur. Now they have to be busy securing bail from court.”

Fakhrul further said the party urged the Election Commission to withdraw Gazipur Superintendent of Police Harunur Rashid, but the commission did not take any step.

He also mentioned that though no case was filed against BNP men in Khulna city that goes into polls on May 15, more than 200 party leaders and activists were arrested there.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court lifted the stay on holding the election in Gazipur, and asked the EC to hold it by June 28.

Electioneering for the polls is set to resume after the Eid-ul-Fitr.

The EC will sit tomorrow to rearrange the election schedule.

As per the schedule announced by the EC on March 31, the election was to be held on May 15. But a sudden three-month stay on the polls by an HC bench, in response to a writ petition, forced the commission to postpone the election.

EC officials said they do not hold any major election during the month of Ramadan, which is likely to begin on May 17.

Election activities would resume after the Eid and the candidates may get a week for electioneering, they added.