BNP threatens to lay siege to EC in case of UZ vote fraud

Apprehending manipulation in the third phase of upazila polls set to be held  Saturday, BNP Friday threatened to lay a siege to the Election Commission (EC) in case of any vote fraud. “We together with people will lay a siege to the EC if the ruling party cadres resort to violence and terrorism, and try to capture polling stations during the Saturday’s  polls,” said BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. The BNP leader issued the threat from a press briefing at the BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, according to a news agency. He alleged that the ruling party men and the law enforcers are crafting various evil designs to capture polling stations, snatch ballot papers and manipulate the election results as they did in the last two phases. Rizvi also claimed the government is deliberately ignoring the law and order issue so that the ruling party ‘cadres’ can resort to terrorism and violence. Eighty-one upazila polls are going to polls in 41 districts in the third phase of the local body elections Saturday.
In the first two phases of the upazila polls held on February 19 and 27 respectively, the BNP-led 19 party-supported chairman candidates won in around 117 upazilas while the ruling party favourites in 82. Rizvi said the government with the ruling party men and the law enforcers is harassing and torturing the opposition-backed candidates and their supporters at different parts of the country to intimidate voters.