The BNP has accused the ruling Awami League of massively rigging the fourth phase of the Upazila elections by forcing out agents of its candidates from several polling centres of 46 Upazilas in 43 districts.
“Swooping down on the voting centres like wolves, the ruling party has rigged votes just to grab chairman posts,” claimed Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at a press briefing on Sunday. Law enforcers also assaulted BNP supporters and indiscriminately opened fire on them at the polling centres, he alleged.
The BNP, which has taken a lead after the three phases of the Upazila polls, had been alleging that the ruling party had planned to rig the fourth phase of polls.
Dwelling on the poll-related violence on Sunday, he said, “The deployment of army in the Upazila election was eyewash.”
“The Election Commission had yesterday (Saturday) written to the army asking it to play an active role in the election. But what did we see today?”
The EC had asked the Armed Forces Division to take all necessary measures to prevent violence during the polls.
It had also ordered the law keepers to shoot at sight during in case any act of violence, including snatching of ballot papers, took place. Despite such warning, three people died in poll-related clashes, polling centres were invaded and ballot boxes snatched at several places during the voting on Sunday.
