BNP and its student wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal alleged bias, mismanagement and political influence within the Election Commission, centring their criticism on the postal ballot system and several other recent decisions.
They alleged that senior EC officials are showing favoritism towards a particular political group, saying that these issues have raised questions about the neutrality of the electoral process.
BNP, however, still believes a free and fair election is possible under this commission, if the commission addresses the concerns raised by the BNP as soon as possible.
The JCD held a day long sit-in programme protesting these issues in front of the EC on Sunday, while the Secretary General of BNP Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir met with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin the same evening, submitting multiple complaints, including those issues mentioned above.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mirza Fakhrul said BNP discussed a set of issues with the commission, including allegations they received of favoritism by some senior EC officials towards a particular political group.
He said the party remained committed to cooperating with the EC to ensure a free, fair and participatory election, but claimed that a biased attitude was evident in certain actions and decisions.
“If the issues we have raised are resolved, we still believe a fair election is possible,” he said, adding that although the commission appeared to be trying to create a level playing field, several shortcomings required immediate correction.
A major concern raised by the BNP was the postal ballot system, particularly the process of printing ballot papers and distributing them to registered voters living abroad.
Mirza Fakhrul said the party believed the process had been managed in a way that could give undue advantage to a specific political party.
“We demanded that the postal ballots be changed, as we think the existing process was designed to benefit a particular party,” he said.
He also said the BNP had asked the commission to ensure that officials responsible for voting-related duties handle postal ballots only after electoral symbols are formally allocated.
The BNP leader further alleged that leaders and activists of some political parties were openly violating the electoral code of conduct.
He said that while BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman postponed personal visits in the interest of maintaining a level playing field, leaders and heads of other parties continued partisan campaign activities.
Mirza Fakhrul also expressed concern over the collection of voters’ personal information in different parts of the country, including copies of National Identification Cards, mobile phone numbers and bKash numbers.
He described door-to-door collection of such information as a criminal offence and a serious violation of privacy, and urged the commission to take immediate action.
He further alleged that in several areas of Dhaka city, one political party was shifting voters from other districts and enrolling them as voters in the capital to influence election outcomes.
BNP has asked the EC to provide detailed information on these transferred voters, including their numbers, previous constituencies and reasons for transfer.
The party also claimed to have received specific allegations of bias against returning officers, assistant returning officers, superintendents of police and officers-in-charge of police stations in several constituencies.
Mirza Fakhrul said BNP had demanded investigations and the immediate withdrawal of officials if the allegations were found to be true. He also alleged that some senior EC officials themselves were working in favour of a particular political party and called for action against them.
BNP Standing Committee member and election steering committee chief Nazrul Islam Khan, along with election committee members including Ismail Zabihullah Nahid, were present during the meeting.
Earlier, Chhatra Dal staged a sit-in programme in front of the EC building in Agargaon from the morning, alleging bias, poor management and political influence behind several recent EC decisions.
The programme was pre-announced and, according to the organisers, remained peaceful throughout the day.
Leaders of the student organisation held a separate meeting with the Senior Secretary of the EC Akhter Ahmed at the evening, while the sit-in programme was going on outside.
Speaking to the reporters after the meeting, Chhatra Dal President Rakibul Islam Rakib and General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir said the organisation had raised three main issues with the commission.
They alleged that the management of postal ballots was poor and that postal ballots had been found at the residences of leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, which they said reminded them of irregularities seen during the 2018 election.
They claimed the EC had acknowledged shortcomings in the management of postal ballots and assured them that the issue was being addressed and would be resolved promptly.
The student leaders also alleged that the commission had changed certain decisions following pressure and mobilisation by specific political groups, including Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizen Party.
They urged the EC to uphold its constitutional independence and not alter decisions under pressure from particular groups.
Another issue raised by Chhatra Dal was the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology student union election.
They claimed that a letter issued by the education ministry on January 5, seeking suspension of the election until February 12, was not properly disclosed within the university administration by the VC of SUST, and that subsequent EC decisions on January 12 and January 15 had created confusion.
Chhatra Dal leaders said they had conveyed their concerns to the commission, which expressed regret over the situation and assured them that the matter would be reviewed.
They also said the EC had requested the protesters not to obstruct officials’ movement and informed them that discussions were ongoing within the commission.
The sit-in programme was withdrawn in the evening, with Chhatra Dal leaders announcing that they would resume their protest from 11.00am today and continue it until their demands were not addressed.
