Bangladesh Bank has suspended all kind of mobile-based financial services (MFS) for temporary basis ahead of the December 30 national election.

All MFS providers have been asked to keep mobile-based financial services suspended from 5:00pm on December 28 to 5:00pm on December 30, the central bank said in a circular today.

However, MFS can allow the individual transaction through mobile account at limited scale up to Tk 5,000 from 5:00pm on December 29 to 5:00pm on December 30, according to the circular.

The decision was taken following the instruction given by the Election Commission, said the circular.

Ruling 14-party alliance today alleged that opposition BNP and its alliance Jatiya Oikyafront are trying to make army and December 30 elections “questionable”.

“Army is deployed as per the demands of BNP and Jatiya Oikyafront. Now they are trying to make the army questionable,” 14-party alliance leader Dilip Barua told reporters after handing over a letter to the EC secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed.

Dilip Barua led a delegation that protested attack on Awami League activists and sought EC's steps on stopping the conspiracy of BNP and Oikyafront.   

“They [BNP and Jatiya Oikyafront] are trying to make December 30 election dubious by raising one after another false allegations” Dilip also said.

Main opposition BNP today claimed that over 9,200 of its activists were arrested since the declaration of election schedule on November 8.

“Our activists were sued in 806 ghost cases since then,” Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, senior joint secretary of the party, said at a press conference at Nayapaltan.

He claimed, 12,588 activists of BNP and its alliance Jatiya Oikyafront were injured in 2,716 incidents of attacks throughout the country in the last 22 days.

So far, eight opposition activists have been killed in election violence, he added.

“The government is applying all its power to oust BNP and Jatiya Oikyafront from the election,” Rizvi claimed. “Our activists are targeted from rally footages.”

Bangladesh government has opened a media centre at a luxury hotel in Dhaka to relay election information to journalists on the day of December 30 election.

Top officials of the information and foreign ministry were present at the launching of the media centre at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka in the morning.

Abdul Malek, secretary to Ministry of Information said, the centre will provide all types of information till December 31 midnight to foreign and local journalists and election observers.

Md Shahidul Haque, foreign affairs secretary, said two hundred foreign observers and 50 overseas journalists who will be catered information from the centre.

Besides, the centre will provide security and visa related necessary information as well as online facilities to the overseas journalists and election observers.

The election result provided by the EC will also be displayed through Bangladesh Television (BTV) at the media centre.  

Five officials and staffs of the information ministry will work at the media centre round the clock. The media centre will keep communication with the EC through two hot lines.

The Awami League-led Grand Alliance will win the upcoming general election with a two-third majority, the party's General Secretary Obaidul Quader said today.

The ruling party leader and contesting for Noakhali-5 constituency said this during an electioneering programme at Bashurhat HSC Govt High School ground in Companiganj upazila this noon.

“Sheikh Hasina is being praised by the entire world today. The mass public support generated in favour of ‘boat’ symbol from Sunamganj to the Sundarbans and from Tentulia to Kutubdia, it is apparent that the Grand Alliance, led by Sheikh Hasina, will defeat the evil, communal forces and win the December 30 polls with a two-third majority,” Quader said.

Expressing concern that the “evil, communal forces” may launch attacks at the polling centres, he said they would have to be resisted from the beginning of voting till the end of vote counting on the polls day.

“Oikyafront will try different tricks and instigations to thwart the polls. Beware of their trap and work on for the next three days for holding the election with patience,” Quader called upon the leaders and activists of his party.

Mentioning that Sheikh Hasina has given respect to the women, he said “Women have risen in support of Awami League. Youths have raised their voice in digital Bangladesh.”

“Women and youth will be the driving force for the victory of Awami League,” Quader added.