Turning down the allegation of BNP on the city polls, Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Saturday said their (BNP) efforts were to make the two city corporation elections questionable from the very beginning.
“A festive environment prevailed across the city during the electoral campaign . . . The voters are also exercising their franchise in a festive mood and the polls environment is much better than in the past,” he told reporters at the Awami League President’s political office in city’s Dhanmondi.
The minister said there are around 54 lakh voters in the two city corporations and the polls of the two cities are being held in a free, fair and credible manner.
About the presence of voters at the beginning of the voting at polling centers, Hasan said this is winter session and today is holiday. For this, the presence of voters was less, but the number of the voters increased later, he added.
Besides, he said the activists of Awami League were more vibrant in the campaign. “For this, our candidates were ahead in the campaign,” he added.
The minister hoped that the voters would exercise their democratic rights by casting votes. “The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) also worked as polling agents. None could give votes without fingerprint or identity card. There is no scope of vote rigging,” said Hasan, also the AL Joint General Secretary.
Besides, he said, the absence of BNP activists in the polling centers is their organizational weakness and they (activists) became frustrated over their leaderships.
The minister said BNP always tried to make the city polls questionable and controversial. BNP’s secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has proved their motive as he said: “We were in the field and this is our successes.” “Their (BNP) aim is not winning in the polls. They were busy in making allegations from the very beginning,” he added.
Thanking BNP for joining the polls, Hasan said they (BNP) went to foreign diplomats and tried to make the polls controversial.
Replying to a query on the injury of a journalist in Mohammadpur area, the minister said, “It is really unexpected and regrettable and we don’t accept such incidents. I hope the Election Commission and the law enforcers will take necessary steps in this regard.”
