JOF rejects results, demands fresh polls

Flatly rejecting the 'so-called' results of Sunday's general election, the Jatiya Oikya Front (JOF) has demanded fresh polls under a non-party government immediately.

News of vote rigging came pouring in from almost all the constituencies and over 100 candidates of different parties boycotted the polls, it said.

"We call upon the Election Commission to immediately cancel the farcical election," said JOF convener Dr Kamal Hossain.

He was addressing a post-election briefing in his Bailey Road residence in the evening where other leaders of the alliance were present.

In a written statement issued to the media, Dr Hossain said they received news of ballot stuffing by ruling-party activists with the help of poll officials from Saturday night.

Since Sunday morning, he said, they came to know that polling agents of the 'sheaf of paddy' were forced to leave almost all polling centres across the country.

They were also beaten up in some places, he alleged.

Even election commissioner Mahbub Talukder while casting his vote at a centre told the media that he did not find any agent of 'sheaf of paddy' there.

"The commissioner further said that he couldn't do anything alone," Mr Hossain cited.

But the chief election commissioner shamelessly stated that the election was held peacefully, barring some isolated incidents, the noted jurist alleged.

According to the statement, 21 persons were killed in the election-related violence.

Replying to a query, Dr Kamal said their movement to give democracy an institutional shape would continue.

The briefing was told that the steering committee of the BNP-led alliance would decide its next course of action and also brief the media about it later.

In an immediate reaction to the "engineered" polls, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said this election is a 'cruel joke' with the nation.

"Such election is harmful to the nation and it will last for long," he added.

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