BNP accuses Jamaat of electoral roll engineering

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, in an oblique reference to Jamaat-e-Islami, said ‘a certain political party’ is manipulating voter rolls across several Dhaka constituencies to secure victory for its candidates.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Sunday that the party has adopted “unethical tactics” by transferring voters from different parts of the country to Dhaka on a large scale. 

“We have asked the Election Commission to immediately provide the total number of transferred voters, their origins and the constituencies they have been moved to,” he said.

Fakhrul said the BNP has filed a series of complaints, including allegations that returning officers, assistant returning officers, police superintendents, officers-in-charge and other officials are working to benefit one party. He said the BNP has demanded their withdrawal after the investigation, along with action against several EC officials accused of similar bias.

He said the party chairman cancelled a personal trip to avoid any breach of the code of conduct, while chiefs of other political parties continue to campaign freely. “We have asked the EC to act without delay,” he said.

On postal ballots, the BNP has also demanded that ballots be distributed only after the party’s symbol is printed correctly, warning that any irregularity could compromise the process.