Afroza Abbas, wife of BNP-blessed mayoral candidate for Dhaka South city Corporation polls Mirza Abbas, onTuesday alleged that the ruling party indulged in vote dacoity and snatched people’s voting right.”I’ve seen ballot snatching. Many voters were told that their votes had already been cast. It’s a vote robbery. They (AL) have snatched people’s voting right,” she said.Afroza, who was the representative of her husband and monitored overall election activities of Abbas as he has been in hiding having failed to get bail in the criminal cases filed against him, made the remarks at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan headquarters.BNP arranged the emergency press conference at which the party announced to boycott the elections to three cities bringing the allegations of widespread vote rigging by pro-Awami League men with the help of law enforcers and polling officials.She alleged that most of their polling agents were either forced out of the polling stations or did not allow them to enter those.Abbas’ wife also alleged that even their women agents were assaulted and compelled them to leave the polling stations.She said she was also assaulted by the ruling party men at Fakirapool Govt Primary School centre as she went there on information that their agents were beaten and forced out of the centre.Afroza said the ruling party men also obstructed common voters from casting their votes while many voters did not go the police station on security ground.
