UNB, Dhaka: Rejecting Wednesday’s municipal polls results, the BNP-led 20-party alliance on Thursday demanded resignation of the government and the Election Commission for deceiving voters. “The government’s undemocratic and fascist attitude and the Election Commission’s failure to discharge its constitutional duty have proved that no credible election is possible under them. Yesterday’s (Wednesday’s) election has clearly depicted it again before the nation as evidence,” said BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. He further said, “That’s why, BNP and the 20-party alliance reject the results of yesterday’s polls and demand the resignation of the government and the Election Commission for betraying the hopes and aspiration of people having failed to discharge their constitutional duty.” The BNP leader came up with the demand at a press conference at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office. The press meet was arranged to give the 20-party’s formal reaction to the municipal polls results. Earlier on Wednesday night, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia sat with her party’s senior leaders and that of 20-party to work out their next course of action and evaluate the election and its results. The BNP and alliance leaders at the meeting decided to reject the election results. Fakhrul, however, did not announce any action programme, saying they will inform about that later. Asked whether they reject the results as well where BNP candidates won, he said, “We turn down the entire election results.” He said the municipal polls were held in the same style the upazila and last three city corporation elections had been held earlier. He alleged that the municipal election is another drama of implementing the government’s blueprint. “It’ll be identified as another stigmatised election in Bangladesh’s election history. “As an independent and constitutional body, the Election Commission has miserably failed to perform its duty. It acted as a partner of the government to implement its blueprint,” the BNP leader alleged. He criticised the EC for not paying heed to their repeated demand for deployment of army. “Army is a neutral institution free of party influence. Though it’s now become impossible to hold a fair and neutral election without deployment of army due to the country’s political culture, they (EC) didn’t accept our demand.” Fakhrul also alleged that the government is going to reestablish one-party rule by destroying all democratic institutions.
