Hurried polls announcement an allusion of lopsided polls: BNP

BNP today expressed fear that another one-sided election will be held as the Election Commission hurriedly announced the election schedule before not resolving the political crisis over the polls.

“It is an obvious allusion of holding of a lopsided election as the announcement of the 11th parliamentary election has come hurriedly before not resolving the political crisis over the polls,” said the party’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at a press briefing at party’s Nayapaltan Central office in Dhaka this morning.

He said all opposion political parties demanded that the Election Commission would announce the election schedule after ensuring level-playing field for all the parties as well as congenial political atmosphere across the country for holding the election.

Rizvi said there was no problem according to the law if the commission would defer the election schedule following the request of all the political parties.

Even the commission would then have enough time to hold the parliamentary election in a free, fair, and credible manner, he said.    

Ignoring the opinions of the opposition political parties, the EC announced the schedule of the 11th parliamentary elections as per the directives of the government, the BNP leader alleged.

“There is no level-playing field for holding the election,” Rizvi further said, adding that the law enforcers have continued the mass arrest of leaders and activists of all opposition political parties including BNP.

When will the 11th JS polls be held?

The 11th parliamentary election will be held on December 23, Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda announced yesterday.

In a televised address to the nation yesterday, CEC Huda unveiled the election schedule and urged all political parties to join the election.

The announcement of the election schedule came despite the request of Jatiya Oikyafront, an alliance of the Gono Forum, BNP and several other opposition parties, not to announce the schedule before resolving the crisis over the election.

According to the schedule, the last date for filing nomination papers for candidacy is November 19. The returning officers will scrutinise the nomination papers on November 22 while the last date for withdrawing candidacy is November 29.