BNP on Tursday decided to form election monitoring cells at central and divisional levels to oversee the forthcoming municipalitiy polls scheduled for December 30.
The decision was taken at a party standing committee meeting at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office with former premier Khaleda Zia in the chair.As per decision, party acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will head the central monitoring cell while joint secretary general Mohammed Shajahan will act as its member-secretary, according to meeting sources.
The two-hour long meeting began at 8:30pm discussed the latest development in the political arena, civic polls and organisaitonal matters sources said.
The meeting highlighted different “irregualairites” in the election process, withdrwal of rebels’ candidatures and sharing of mayoral posts with BNP’s kye alliance partner Jamaat-e-Islami.
Senior party leaders entrusted the responsibility to ensure withdrwal of rebels candidature and sharing mayoral posts for suitable Jamaat’s candidates through discussion for the sake of fielding common candidate of the 20-party alliance.
The chairperson herself will deal specially the matter of mayoral post sharing with Jamaat candidates if the local leaders of both the parties fail to do it, insiders said.
Briefing reporters, the BNP acting secretary said the meeting expressed apprehension over holding the civic polls in a free and fair manner and called upon the government, Election Commission and police administration to ensure a level playing field.
He said since the BNP is a democratic party, it is taking part in the polls to restore and protect democracy.
“District and upazila leaders will oversee the pourasabha polls in their respective areas and coordinate with the central and divisional level monitoring cells,” he said
Fakhrul said the meeting expressed deep concern over mass areest after announcing the poll schedule and demanded the release of party leaders including Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and MK Anwar.
He calimed that over 5000 oppostion leaders and activists have been arrested in the last one month.
The BNP leader criticized the EC to appoint deputy commiioners additional deputy commissioners and UNOs as retunring officers what he said in a bit to manipulate the polls.
Barrister Moudud Ahmed, Lt Gen (Retd) Mahbubur Rahman, ASM Hannan Shah, Jamiruddin Sircar, Abdul Moyeen Khan and Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, among others, attended the meeting. – Staff Reporter
