Khaleda changes electioneering route amid protests

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia this evening changed her electioneering route amid strong protests by ruling party men at Dhaka’s Uttara.

After facing repeated chases and protests at different part of Uttara, the BNP chief revised her scheduled campaign and left Uttara for Norda around 7:00pm.

“Khaleda’s vehicle took a sudden turn towards the Airport Road from House Building area of Uttara as 10-12 youths threw sticks with black flags which hit a vehicle of her security personnel,” an eyewitness told The Daily Star.

However, Sayrul Kabir Khan, a media wing staff of Khaleda, said the BNP chief did not curtail her scheduled visit in face of the protests.

“Many obstacles are being created [in our electioneering]. But I don’t care — people are with us. Awami League has become mad to see Tabith’s popularity in the election. They [AL men] are carrying out criminal activities,” Khaleda Zia told reporters after wrapping up her today’s electioneering.

Talking to voters at Suvastu Nazar Valley at Badda’s Shajahadpur, she said, “We are getting huge response in spite of the government barriers.”

“Revolution will take place if voters can cast their votes properly on the polls day,” she said, adding that BNP is demanding army deployment during polls to hold the city corporation elections in a free and fair manner.

“But Awami League does not want that [to deploy army] as they have planned to rig the election.”

Earlier in the afternoon, a group of ruling party men showed black flags to the BNP chief on her way to Uttara.

When Khaleda’s motorcade reached Sector-1 of Uttara, some 80 ruling party men led by Awami League’s Uttara unit President Tofazzal and General Secretary Habib Hassan carrying black flags were approaching the BNP chief, witnesses said. 

Later, they followed Khaleda’s vehicles for around 100 yards and chanted different slogans like “Amar Bhai Morlo Keno, Khuni Khaleda Jobab Dey (answer why have my brothers been killed?).”

However, no untoward incident took place as police and Khaleda’s security personnel forced them to stay away from the motorcade, Sayrul Kabir Khan, a media wing staff of the BNP chief, told The Daily Star.

The motorcade sped away for the next stop of her campaign.

But when Khaleda reached Sector-7 of Uttara, she faced one more similar demonstration by the ruling party men.

The motorcade consisting over 10 vehicles left Khaleda’s Gulshan office around 4:30pm for Uttara-1 to conduct electoral campaign for BNP-backed mayoral aspirant Tabith Awal.

The BNP chairperson today continued campaigning for her party-blessed mayoral candidate Tabith Awal in the Dhaka North City Corporation elections.

Khaleda, flanked by a large number of leaders and activists, began the campaign for the second consecutive day from Uttara’s Sector-3 around 4:45pm.

She visited several shops and shopping malls in the area and sought vote for Tabith.

BNP supporters were seen chanting slogans, distributing leaflets and posters among people, and using hand speakers during the campaign.

Yesterday, she conducted campaign for Tabith in Gulshan-1, Badda, Baridhara, Tejgaon and Hatirjheel areas.

The elections to Dhaka north and south, and Chittagong city corporations will be held on April 28.