The BNP has argued against the Election Commission's decision to use the electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the upcoming Dhaka South and North city corporations elections, claiming it may allow ‘vote rigging’ and affect the 'polls result'.
"It's very objectionable... There is enough chance to rig votes through EVMs and change the result of the polls," Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told the media at the party chief Khaleda Zia's Gulshan offices in Dhaka on Monday (Dec 23) after a meeting of the BNP's policymaking forum.
BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, too, joined the meeting from London via Skype.
Fakhrul's remarks came a day after the Election Commission (EC) fixed Jan 30 for voting in the elections to the Dhaka North and South city corporations.
The EC said voters would elect the mayors and councillors in Dhaka city using EVMs to cast ballots.
The senior BNP leader alleged that the EC announced the schedule for the polls 'in a hurry' .
"We fear that the EC has unveiled the schedule hastily so that the ruling party can come out victorious in the elections," Fakhrul said.
NOMINATION FORM DISTRIBUTION
BNP will begin distributing nomination forms for the Dhaka city polls on Thursday (Dec 26).
The candidates would have to collect the nomination forms from the party's Nayapaltan headquarters and to submit those by Friday (Dec 27) afternoon, Fakhrul said.
Party's parliamentary board would finalise the candidates on Dec 28, he added.
NO PARTY SYMBOL FOR COUNCILLORS
Fakharul said the party has decided to not allocate party symbol 'paddy sheaf ' to ward councillors to contest the Jan 30 polls.
"We have decided to take part in the elections. But, things depend on the polls environment. Let's see what happens at last," he added.