BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan has alleged that ballot papers are being stuffed in emergency ballot boxes in Dhaka 4, 9 and 14 constituencies.
"We have news that the ballot papers will reach the polling centres at night where votes will be stuffed in the extra ballot boxes. There will be empty ballot boxes to be kept as well to display in the morning,” Nazrul, also the chairman of the election steering committee of BNP, said while speaking to the media at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office on Saturday evening.
“If ballots are stuffed from the night before, then the opposition won’t have any chances whatsoever,” Nazrul said.
The senior BNP leader said: “We [the BNP] have already informed it to the returning officer already.”
“This [stuffing ballot boxes] has been done with the help of police and local administration and we strongly condemn such move,” Nazrul further said.
He urged the people of the country to stand against this.
Meanwhile, BNP Dhaka 4 candidate Salahuddin Almed claimed that ballot boxes were stuffed in wards- 47, 53, 58, 59 polling centres, comfirmed his election coordinator Robin.
Robon said: "We called the Shyampur army camp but no one received the phone, later Kadamtali army camp picked up the phone and said they were looking into the matter."
Nazrul further added: “Mirza Abbas and Moudud Ahmed are currently in a confined state. Fair election is not possible if this goes on.”
BNP Vice- Chairman Selima Rahman, Ahmed Azam Khan, BNP Joint Secretary General Moazzem Hossain Alal were present at the time, among others.
Earlier around 10:30pm Saturday, at a press briefing at BNP’s Naya Paltan headquarters, the party’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi made a similar allegation.
He claimed that Awami League men were stuffing ballot boxes with ballot papers already bearing the seal on the ruling party’s electoral symbol boat.
Rizvi urged the party leaders and activists across the country to guard the polling centres and wake the villagers up to stop the vote rigging.
“We will win, Insha Allah!” he added.
