2024-04-16 10:29:53
BNP has decided to boycott the upcoming upazila elections. The decision was taken at a virtual meeting of the party’s highest policy-making forum, the National Standing Committee.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed gave this information in a statement on Tuesday (April 16).
Rizvi said that in the meeting of the National Standing Committee of BNP, it was decided to boycott the upcoming four-phase Upazila Parishad elections starting from May 8.
As the reason, Rizvi said, currently there is a feeling of dictatorship in Bangladesh. The Awami occupying ruling group has been in power for a decade and a half and has expelled free, fair, peaceful and inclusive elections from Bangladesh. During their tenure, national and local government elections were never free and fair. The mandated Election Commission declared the winners of the ruling party’s nominees without considering the people’s votes.
He said that under the Awami League, the candidates of the rival opposition parties in all national parliament and local government elections had to be attacked, sued and harassed in various ways. Collection and submission of nomination papers and election campaigns were obstructed along with assaults and physical assaults. Many were not even allowed to submit nomination papers.
This leader of BNP said that undemocratic forces can never be allies of free and fair elections. Even after the Awami ruling group completed all arrangements for the January 7 election without voters, they could not be free from fear. Therefore, not giving opportunity to the election observers to observe the election, slowing down the speed of internet, disrupting the surveillance of the citizens, etc. took unprecedented steps to destroy the fair and peaceful elections. Earlier too, opposition polling agents were obstructed in various ways in national and local government elections. Some agents were allowed to enter the polling station but were soon kicked out. Thousands of leaders and activists of pro-democracy parties, including BNP, were put in jail while holding one-sided elections. In the January 7 dummy election, BNP’s top leaders and more than 25,000 leaders and activists were imprisoned. Many are still living inhumane lives in prisons. Disappearances, murders continue.
In this situation, the BNP has boycotted the previous parliamentary and local government elections held under the Sheikh Hasina-led government and the Election Commission organized by it, and because of the openly one-sided role of the administration and the police. There is a logical reason not to participate in the upcoming upazila elections as the environment for fair and peaceful elections has not yet been created and the existing anarchic situation has further deteriorated. Therefore, BNP is determined not to be a part of this illegitimate government’s apolitical and electoral farce as a result of the widespread spread of violent terrorism. Rizvi Ahmed said that the BNP has taken the decision to boycott the upazila parishad elections of all phases starting from May 8 due to good reasons.