BNP yesterday lauded the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) study over irregularities in the December 30 national election and said it was a “cause for heartburn” for both the government and the Election Commission.

“The government's ministers and the Election Commission have been failing to hide their faces in shame as TIB has unveiled the absolute truth about vote rigging,” BNP's Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed said yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference at the party's Nayapaltan central office in Dhaka, Rizvi said now their [the government and EC] efforts to conceal the truth has gone in vain as people are informed of everything that transpired the day before national election.

TIB, in its study on Tuesday, said electoral irregularities like stamping ballot papers the night before the polls and ballot stuffing by capturing booths on election day happened in 47 out of 50 constituencies that were surveyed at random.

Rizvi, also the spokesperson of BNP, said different international organisations have come up with reports on vote rigging in the December 30 national election while several democratic countries termed the election questionable.

“They did not recognise the fake election; they even demanded investigation into the allegation of vote rigging. World leaders have also described the election as the worst in history,” the BNP leader said.

Mentioning that people sacrificed their lives for the country's independence, Rizvi said they [people] will do the same, if necessary, for the sake of their voting rights and democracy.

The Election Commission (EC) today sent a letter to the parliament secretary for taking necessary preparation to organise the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected lawmakers of the 11th general election.

EC Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed said this while talking to reporters at the EC office today.

The MP-elect will take oath at the oathroom of the parliament at 11:00am tomorrow, sources at the Parliament Secretariat confirmed.

Yesterday, the commission published the gazette with details of 298 MPs with the EC’s approval.

According to the article 148 (2A) of the Constitution, the newly elected members of parliament will be obliged to take oath within three days after the publication of election results through official gazette, or else their memberships will cease to exit.

The new cabinet may take oath on Sunday.

In the December 30 parliamentary election, the AL-led Grand Alliance won 288 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad against the BNP-led Oikyafront's seven. 

Three independent candidates also became victorious.

The election in Brahmanbaria-2 was suspended as voting at three polling centres was suspended over violence. Polling in those centres will be held on January 9.

Polls in Gaibanda-3 were rescheduled for January 27 following the death of a candidate.  

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today said his party lacks true activists, pointing out the growing number of leaders, who he said were mostly driven by greed for power and money.

 "It appears that the number of activists in the party is decreasing and that of leaders is increasing. We don't need so many leaders. What we need now are true activists," he said.

Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, was addressing the triennial council of Rajshahi city unit of AL at Madrassa Maidan in Rajshahi, reports our staff correspondent.

"One can understand the scenario by looking at the tiers [of the ruling party]. We've no lack of leaders. Billboards on the streets portray pictures of leaders. Many of the leaders are not even well-known among the people; they made themselves leaders," Quader said.

It was once difficult to gather a hundred people to bring out a procession in Rajshahi, but now, more than a hundred people are found on the stage in public meetings, he added.

He said most of them are driven by greed for power and money, and these opportunists would leave the party during its bad times.

"Leaders must let go of greed for power and money, following the ideologies of Bangabandhu," he said.

He suggested that the party select its leaders wisely, as conspiracies are on to destabilise the country's peace.

Later, the AL leader abolished the present committee of the party's Rajshahi unit. He announced the new members of the committee with Rajshahi Mayor AHM Khairuzzman Liton as the president and Dablu Sarker as its general secretary.

He asked the new leaders to declare the full committee within a month.