Dhaka – Voicing frustration over “unabated vote rigging and capture of poling stations” in the fifth phase of Union Parishad polls, BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Saturday said the Election Commission (EC) pretends to be asleep, Unb news agency reported.
“Capturing polling stations and rigging votes are going on unabated.
It’s nothing, but a mockery and a game in the name of polls,” he said while talking to reporters after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad.Accusing the EC of not taking any action despite being aware of the polls irregularities, the BNP leader said, “They’re pretending to be asleep and it will be a futile exercise to try to awake them.”
A three-member member BNP delegation, led by Nazrul, met the CEC at the latter’s office to register the party’s various complaints over the election irregularities during the voting of the fifth phase of UP polls.
Voting in election to 717 UPs in the fifth phase started at 8am and continued till 4pm at 6,484 polling stations. At least six people were killed in violence in Jamalpur and Chittagong during the voting.
About polls violence, Nazrul also a BNP standing committee member, there is no point of raising the issue and polls irregularities with the EC. “It’s the responsibility of the Commission to check violence, but they’re not exercising their power.”
He alleged that the local administration and the EC helped the ruling party men indulge in vote fraud.
The BNP leader said there is no improvement in the election atmosphere though they have registered their various complaints with the Commission in the previous phases of the UP polls.
