BNP boycotts city polls

Staff Correspondent: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has boycotted the polls in three city corporations terming it a meaningless election.

BNP standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed made the declaration at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan headquarter in city on Tuesday noon.

Afroza Abbas, wife of BNP backed candidate Mirza Abbas for Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Tabith Awal, the party favourite for Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) were present with Moudud during the declaration.

“It’s not an election at all. We boycott the election,” the BNP spokesperson said.

“We joined the polls with a big hope that the movement for restoring democracy will be heighten through city corporation elections. But vote rigging has already proved that restoring democracy is impossible under the Awami League government. It’s a meaningless election,” he said.

Alleging widespread rigging and irregularities Moudud said: "The ruling party men had forcibly taken over almost all the polling centres in Dhaka."

"Local Awami League leaders and activists have assaulted our agents and barred them from entering polling centres with the help of obliging law enforcement agency members and a submissive Election Commission,” Moudud added.

Earlier, BNP-backed mayoral candidate for Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) M Manzur Alam also boycotted the polls.

risingbd/DHAKA/Apr 28, 2015/Augustin Sujan