BNP rejects KCC election results citing vote rigging

A BNP senior leader rejected on Wednesday the Khulna City Corporation (KCC) election results, bringing the allegation of an 'unprecedented vote rigging' and various irregularities, report agencies.

The party also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda for what it said his 'inability' to hold a 'fair and impartial' election.

"I, on behalf of our party, reject the results of Khulna City Corporation election," he said.

BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi made the comments while speaking at a press conference at the party's Nayapaltan central office.

He also alleged that the current 'illegal' government has exercised its power to snatch people's voting rights in Tuesday's polls.

"It can't be a healthy election system the way supporters of paddy sheaf (BNP's election symbol), were subjected to harassment and obstruction at polling stations. The supporters of boat (AL's election symbol) established their limitless supremacy," the BNP leader observed.

He alleged the ruling party men gave fake votes splitting into different groups at many polling stations while the presiding officers helped them cast vote unilaterally and stuff ballots.

"They (AL men) stuffed the ballot boxes within a few minutes at many centres, but the on-duty magistrates overlooked such activities," Rizvi claimed.

He also questioned how over 65 per cent votes were cast in the election while there was a very thin presence of voters. "We think the turnout of voters could be less than 30 per cent. Voters couldn't go to most polling stations due to attacks and obstruction by ruling party cadres."

Rizvi also alleged the Election Commission neither has any good intention nor ability to hold a fair and neutral election. "That's why people witnessed an unprecedented festival of vote rigging in the KCC polls."

Meanwhile, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has demanded reform of the Election Commission (EC), claiming it 'failed' to conduct the Khulna City Corporation polls properly.

He made the comments while speaking at a press conference at BNP chairperson's Gulshan office in the city on Tuesday night following the BNP candidate's defeat.

"The Khulna election would have been better if the army had been deployed," he said.

"It is not the question of winning or losing the election, but one cannot force out the agents of opposition party; this can never happen in a fair election."

Fakhrul termed the election system in the country a 'farce'.

"The EC loses its eligibility to work neutrally and no successful election can be held unless the EC undergoes radical changes."The BNP has been raising questions regarding the election system though it won several local level elections after boycotting the 10th national election.

As the BNP had won the last election in Khulna, it expected victory this time too. BNP's mayoral candidate Nazrul Islam Manju happens to be the central organising secretary and a former MP. "We have a stronghold in Khulna and last time our contender had won the election with a huge margin.

Nazrul Islam Manju has been elected repeatedly from that seat," said Fakhrul."It is only because of EC's failure and attacks by the police that BNP activists could not act."

Manju accused police of arresting leaders and activists from the very beginning of the election to intimidate the BNP, which was reiterated by his party during the polling day.

"I heard they have shown 60 per cent of the votes cast in Khulna but there was no presence of voters in any of the centres in the afternoon," he said."It seems from the media footage that it is being controlled by the government, as it differs from what I have heard from the media in Khulna and also from the online information."