BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said there is no scope for 'engineering' in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election as government officials and employees are expected to discharge their duties properly to ensure free, fair and credible voting, report agencies.
"We have finally regained the freedom to express our opinions through independent voting. The election will be neutral, though some concerns always remain. But, we are hopeful that there will be no opportunity for 'election engineering' this time," he said while speaking at a press briefing at his Thakurgaon residence on Tuesday.
BNP has been carrying out a movement for the restoration of democracy for the last 16 years and expressed optimism that the February 12 election would help restore people's voting rights and democracy, he said.
"If the election is held in a free and fair manner, it will create a major opportunity for reforming the state. So far, we believe the overall election environment is favourable," Fakhrul added.
Regarding the acceptability of the election results, the BNP secretary general said his party has always accepted election outcomes. "Even in 2008, when BNP won only 30 seats, we joined Parliament. This time, we are hopeful that BNP will secure a majority," he said.
Meanwhile, BNP Central Election Steering Committee Spokesperson Mahdi Amin alleged that Jamaat-e-Islami's attempts to buy votes reflect its political bankruptcy and constitute a clear violation of the election code of conduct.
"It is deeply disturbing that attempts to buy votes with money are taking place even in the constituency of the party's own chief. If this is the situation there, one can easily imagine what is happening across the country," he said.
Speaking at a press conference at the BNP Election Office in Gulshan on Tuesday, Mahdi also said a party which claims to stand against corruption is now allegedly luring people, even children, with money as part of its election campaign, which he described as a serious violation of electoral rules.
