BNP on Sunday alleged bias and questionable conduct by the Election Commission and submitted a set of complaints to the commission, including allegations of favouritism by some senior EC officials toward a particular political group.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the allegations while speaking to reporters at around 6pm after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin at the EC office.
He said BNP remains committed to cooperating with the Election Commission (EC) to ensure a free, fair and participatory election but the party has observed a biased attitude within the commission.
“If the commission resolves the issues we’ve raised, we believe a fair election is still possible,” he said, adding that although the EC is trying to create a level playing field, they have noted several shortcomings which need correction.
Mirza Fakhrul said the party raised serious concerns over the postal ballot system, particularly the process of printing ballot papers and sending them to registered voters living abroad.
He said BNP believes the entire process was carried out in a way that could give undue advantage to specific parties.
“We demanded that the postal ballots be changed, as we think the process was designed to benefit a particular party,” he said.
He added that BNP also requested the commission to ensure that officials responsible for voting-related duties handle postal ballots properly only after electoral symbols have been formally allocated.
The BNP secretary general further alleged that leaders and activists of some political parties are openly violating the code of conduct, even though BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman postponed personal visits a few days ago in order to ensure no rules were broken and a level playing field was maintained.
“While our chairperson cancelled his visits in the interest of fairness, leaders of some other parties are still carrying out partisan campaign activities,” he said.
Mirza Fakhrul also expressed concern over the collection of voters’ personal information, including National Identification Card copies, bKash numbers and mobile phone numbers, in different parts of the country.
“Going door to door and collecting personal information like NIDs and bKash numbers is a criminal offence and a serious violation of privacy,” he said, adding that BNP had raised the issue earlier, urging the commission to take immediate action.
He also alleged that in several areas of Dhaka city, one political party has been 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 number, previous constituencies and reasons for transfer.
The BNP leader further claimed that the party received specific allegations of bias against returning officers, assistant returning officers, superintendents of police and officers-in-charge of police stations in several constituencies.
“For the sake of a fair election, we demanded an investigation into the matter and immediate withdrawal of those officials if the allegations are found true,” he said.
Mirza Fakhrul also alleged that some senior officials of the EC itself are working in favour of a particular political party and urged the commission to take action against them.
Regarding the student wing’s movement, Mirza Fakhrul said it was their internal matter but criticised the commission for allowing the resumption of a previously suspended university election, saying the decision could further complicate the situation and raise questions about the electoral process.
BNP Standing Committee member and election steering committee chief Nazrul Islam Khan and election committee member Ismail Zabihullah Nahid, among others, were also present during the press briefing.
