BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has called on voters to go to polling centres early on election day and to keep watch over the centres.
Addressing an election rally in Tangail on Saturday evening, he said preparations should begin the day before, urging people to closely monitor polling stations in their respective areas to ensure that no one casts a vote in another’s name or stamps a ballot fraudulently.
He warned that certain quarters are still engaged in conspiracies to obstruct the upcoming election, urging voters to remain alert and vigilant.
The BNP chairman said some groups were approaching women voters in particular, attempting to collect their national identity card numbers and mobile banking details, including bKash accounts, in what he described as efforts to mislead them.
He cautioned that those willing to engage in such unethical practices before the vote could, if given the opportunity, endanger the country itself. “Everyone must remain alert and cautious.”
“If we remain united and vigilant, no one will be able to take away our democratic rights,” he said.
At the rally, he introduced BNP candidates in Tangail – Swapan Fakir, Abdus Salam Pintu, Obaidur Haque Nasir, Lutfur Rahman Matin, Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, Rabiul Alam Lablu, Abul Kalam Azad Siddiqui and Ahmed Azam Khan – symbolically handing over the party’s election symbol and urging residents to ensure their victory.
Turning to local development issues, Tarique Rahman said that with proper planning, Tangail’s distinctive handloom sarees could be exported abroad. He also highlighted the global demand for prayer caps produced in the district, noting that greater initiative could create large-scale employment in the sector.
He outlined broader development plans, including the construction of a barrage on the Jamuna River, the establishment of mills and factories, setting up pineapple-processing plants for juice production, and revitalising the jute industry. Such initiatives, he said, could gradually transform Tangail into an industrial hub.
“This is not only about Tangail,” he said. “With public support through the ballot, we can bring about the desired change across Bangladesh and steadily improve the lives of the people.”
The rally was chaired by Tangail district BNP president Hasanuzzamil Shahin and conducted by former acting general secretary Mahmudul Haque Sabu. Senior BNP leaders, including Syedul Alam Babul, Benjir Ahmed Titu, Saeed Sohrab and Shamsuzzaman Suruj, also addressed the gathering, alongside candidates from Tangail’s eight constituencies.
Earlier on Saturday afternoon, Tarique Rahman called on voters to deliver a “strong response to authoritarianism” by casting their ballots for the party’s sheaf-of-paddy symbol on 12 February.
Speaking as the chief guest at an election rally at the BSCIC Industrial Park in Sirajganj district, he urged supporters to turn out in large numbers and vote decisively.
The rally marked the final leg of his three-day campaign tour of northern Bangladesh. The tour began on Thursday with public meetings in Rajshahi, Naogaon and Bogura, followed by a rally in Rangpur on Friday night.
On the final day, Saturday, Tarique Rahman addressed roadside gatherings at Majhira Port in Bogura’s Shajahanpur upazila and in Sherpur, before speaking at election rallies in Sirajganj and Tangail districts. He departed for Dhaka at around 7pm.
