bdnews24.com :The BNP will lay siege to offices of Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNO) across Bangladesh on Thursday to protest alleged rigging of votes in the fourth phase of the Upazila Parishad polls. BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the agitation programme at a press briefing on Tuesday. Rizvi again accused the Election Commission of being subservient to the government. He cited an instance in which a commissioner had complained against a minister for breaching the poll code of conduct.”As per the Constitution the commission has the authority to take steps against the minister. Instead of doing so, it has sent a letter to the cabinet secretary,” he said.The commission on Sunday sent a letter to the Prime Minister through the cabinet division about alleged violation of the poll code by Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu.Ninety-one Upazilas of 43 districts went to polls in the fourth phase on Sunday. Four people were killed in bursts of violence, forcing the suspension of voting in 34 centres of 11 Upazilas.The ruling Awami League which trailed the BNP in the first three phases surged ahead in the fourth round. The Awami League-backed candidates now have 177 chairman posts while the BNP-endorsed ones have 150.BNP, which boycotted the Jan 5 national election, had earlier laid siege to Deputy Commissioners’ Offices on Mar 20 alleging violence and rigging in the third phase of the local government polls.The Prime Minister’s Adviser HT Imam on Sunday claimed the fourth phase was more peaceful and fair than the previous three rounds. Rizvi dubbed the remark ‘strange’.
