Stating that her party’s mayoral candidate in Comilla polls had to win facing many obstacles and odds, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on Tuesday night asked her party leaders and activists to get ready for the next general election.
“They (AL) will quit only after the destruction of the country. We need to prepare to oust them to save the country. We’ll turn victorious and successful if we can prepare our soldiers well in every district to fight like him (Sakku),” she said. Khaleda further said, “Being happy over Sakku’s victory is not enough. Instead, we need to prepare our party so that we can cross the election hurdles through a strong fight.”
The BNP chief came up with the remarks as Comilla City Corporation Mayor-elect Manirul Islam Sakku met her at her Gulshan office. Sakku and his wife Afroza Yasmin Tikly greeted Khaleda presenting a bouquet.
Khaleda also congratulated Sakku and the voters of Comilla on his victory in Thursday’s election.
The BNP chairperson came down hard on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda saying he could not ensure a fair and neutral election in Comilla. “We had expected he would act neutrally as Comilla City polls were his first test. But it’s regrettable he worked for Awami League. He couldn’t prove his neutrality.” She also alleged that no fair election is possible under current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the CEC.
Khaleda claimed that Sakku could have won the election with a margin of 50,000 votes had the election been fair. The BNP chief, however, praised the media for their role in the city polls and expressed her gratitude to journalists. Mentioning the country is now under an unelected, illegal and undemocratic government, she urged the country people to get united to restore democracy.
Impressed with Sakku’s wife’s speech at the programme, Khaleda asked her party leader to accommodate her and other new leaders in the committees of Comilla city and district units of the party.
She also asked her party leaders to arrange training for the BNP activists who will work as election agents in the next polls. BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Nazrul Islam Khan, Mayor Sakku and his wife Afroza addressed the programme.
Earlier, Sakku arrived at the BNP chairperson person’s Gulshan office around 9pm.
Sakku won the Comilla City Corporation polls for the 2nd straight term on Thursday defeating his rival Awami League’s Anjuman Sultana Sima with a margin of 11,085 votes.
