EC working under govt: BNP

BNP today accused the Election Commission of working under the government’s instruction to ensure victory of the ruling party’s mayoral aspirants in the city polls.

“The EC is loyal to the government and are working in favour the ruling party-backed candidates to ensure their victory,” BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed claimed.

EC wants to arrange the election using members of the Rapid Action Battalion and Police and so it has decided to keep the army inside barracks, he said told reporters while electioneering in favour of Mirza Abbas in Segunbagicha area of Dhaka.

The EC’s move proves, it is loyal to the government, Moudud added.

Meanwhile another standing committee member of the BNP Brig (retd) ASM Hannan Shah blamed the EC for planning to stage manipulated city polls by keeping the army off the field.

“The government, its ministers and the ruling party lawmakers want to hold a specially engineered election to ensure victory of their candidates,” he made the allegation while talking to reporters at Abbas’s Shahjahanpur residence.

“Army will have to be brought on to the field if the EC wants to engage them for the sake of a free, fair and transparent poll,” Hannan said.

He said at least 99 percent of polling centres are vulnerable as pressure from the administration has been given to the election officials to manipulate the election.

Attacks on the motorcade of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia during her electioneering prove authenticity of the allegation, Hannan claimed.