Noman Mosharef and Reza Mahmud :
The newly formed political alliance Jatiya Oikyafront and BNP led 20-party alliance announced that they would take part in the upcoming 11th National Election. They also urged the Election Commission to defer the election date by a month.
Leaving behind all the concerns and confusions, Dr. Kamal Hossain, top leader of the Jatiya Oikyafront came up with the announcement at a press briefing in Dhaka at 1:00pm on Sunday.
He said, “We are counting on the people’s alliance. Our history shows that people always ended up victorious, when united.”
“It will be no different this time,” he hoped.
Dr Kamal said, “This alliance has been forged on the premises of values ingrained in our constitution. This alliance aims to reach state power by achieving people’s faith.”
“Despite extreme adverse situation, Jatiya Oikyafront has decided to participate in the election as part of its movement for restoration of democracy,” Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, spokesperson of the front, told the briefing.
He said, “We are still focused on our 7-point demand for ensuring free, fair and credible election in addition to the demand of deferring it by a month.”
Fakhrul then read out the Oikyafront’s official statement on behalf of Dr Kamal Hossain, announcing their stance on the upcoming polls.
He said the Oikyafront considers the election a “part of its movement.”
Fakhrul said, “The Jatiya Oikafront has always given importance to discussions and understanding. In that line, it wrote a letter to the government to sit fore a dialogue with the Oikafront. In response to the letter, the government had held two rounds of discussion with the Oikyafront. They didn’t assure us of meeting our seven-point demand that we made for the sake of holding a fair election, rather describes some of those as unconstitutional.”
Alleging that the Election Commission has hastily announced the polls schedule as wanted by the government, he said, “Once it was announced, the government didn’t go for any negotiation. Neither did they meet any condition. Given the circumstances a credible poll is impossible. However, the Oikyafront has decided to contest in it.”
Calling to defer the polls day by one month, Fakhrul said that their alliance would keep an eye on the Election Commission and the government.
He further said that the government is yet to ensure a level playing field for holding a free, fair and neutral election.
About the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Fakhrul said, “The Election Commission has not scraped the decision of using EVMs in the poll despite objection from all the parties and the general people. Amid such a situation, acceptable polls are not possible.”
The written statement further said, during the two rounds of dialogue the Prime Minister had assured us that no ghost cases will be filed, no arrest will happen, and no police harassment will occur. But despite the PM’s assurance the arrest and police harassment is continuing.
Disclosing the figure of arrested leaders and activists, Fakhrul said, after the PM’s assurance, in one-day more than 1200 leaders and activists of BNP have been arrested.
After the press briefing, thousands of leaders and activists chanted slogans demanding release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
BNP Standing Committee Members Moudud Ahmed and Barrister Zamir Uddin Sircer, JSD President ASM Abur Rab, Secretary Abdul Malek Ratan, Krishak Sramik Janata League President Bangabir Abdul Kader Siddique, Nagorik Oikya Convenver Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Oikya Prokriya leader Sultan Mohammad Mansur Ahmed, among others, were present at the briefing.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir sent a letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda demanding fresh schedule for the election.
BNP chairperson’s advisor Bijon Kanti Sarker handed over the letter to Election Commission (EC) Secretary Helaluddin Ahmad at the Nirbachan Bhaban.
The BNP-led 20-party alliance declared to join the polls 15 minutes before the announcement of the Jatiya Oikyafront.
The 20-party alliance leader and President of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Colonel (rtd) Oli Ahmad, announced the decision of the alliance at a press conference at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office.
BNP Standing Committee Member and Coordinator of the alliance Nazrul Islam Khan was present.
Oli Ahmed said, “We have unanimously decided to join the Parliament polls in the alliance meeting to revive democracy.”
He said, “We will have our electoral compromises with the Jatiya Oikyafront. We want the continuation of democracy.”
The alliance leader said, “We demanded to the government dissolution of the Parliament, release of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, deployment of Army with judicial powers seven days before and two days after the election.”
Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) Chairman Barrister Andaliv Rahman, Jamaat Central Executive Council Member Maulana Abdul Halim, Khelafat Majlish Secretary General Dr Ahmed Abdul Quader, Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar) Secretary General Mostafa Jamal Haider and Bangladesh Kalyan Party Chairman Syed Mohammad Ibrahim, among others, were present at the alliance meeting.
On November 8, Election Commission announced the schedule for the next general election amid protests from oppositions that the schedule should not be announced before resolution of the political crisis through dialogue.
As per the schedule, the 11th parliamentary elections will be held on December 23 while the last date for submitting nomination papers is November 19, the date for scrutinising nomination papers is November 22 and the last date for the withdrawal of nomination papers is November 29.
On 13 October, the Jatiya Oikyafront was formed comprising BNP, Gono Forum led by Dr Kamal Hossain, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) led by ASM Abdur Rab and Nagorik Oikya led by Mahmudur Rahman Manna.
Later, Krishak Sramik Janata League led by Bangabir Abdul Kader Siddique joined the Oikyafront.
