Dhaka, Feb 09 – The two BNP mayoral candidates for the just concluded Dhaka North and South city corporations—Tabith Awal and Engr Ishraque Hossain on Sunday briefed foreign diplomats about alleged vote-rigging through using Electronic Voting Machines. The two candidates who were defeated by the ruling Awami League opponents briefed the diplomats in a closed-door meeting at Lakeshore Hotel in the city in the evening.
Diplomats from 13 countries and development agencies including ambassadors of Russia, Denmark and Norway were present at the briefing, The other countries include Germany, Turkey, India and the European Union.
Sources said the two BNP candidates made presentations focusing the overall scenario of the February 1 elections along with dada and video clippings over the alleged obstruction of voters, manipulation through EVM, grabbing polling centres and attacks of journalists.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir who was present at the meeting declined to make any comments over the meeting.
Ishraque Hossain said on behalf of party foreign affairs committee they made a presentation over the incidents took place on the polling day as the foreign diplomats wanted to know about it.
Replying to a question, he said the development agencies wanted to know the electoral process and they briefed them over “vote-rigging.”
“We have briefed the entire gamut of the elections as to how the elections were manipulated at different levels and poll results were changed,” he said.
He, however, said that they did not lodge any complaint to the diplomats but brief them as they wanted to know about it. There is no benefit by lodging complaint with them, he added.
“They (diplomats) have become surprised at the vote-rigging in such a major election,” he said.
BNP standing committee members-Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Abdul Awal Mintoo, Ismail Jobiullah, Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, Shama Obayed and Zahiruddin Swapan.
Awami League mayoral candidates Atiqul Islam and Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh won the mayoral polls of Dhaka North and South city corporation in February 1 city polls. – Staff Reporter
