BNP lodges complaints with EC

Just a day before the balloting in Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barishal city corporation polls, opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) lodged various complaints with the election commission (EC) on Sunday and urged it to take necessary steps for holding the polls in a credible and fair manner, reports UNB.

A BNP delegation, led by party joint secretary general Mahbub Uddin Khokon, met chief election commissioner KM Nurul Huda at the EC secretariat in the capital Sunday.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Khokon said the commission has failed to create a proper atmosphere for holding a fair election in the three cities.

"We've placed our party's various demands to the Commission to ensure a fair balloting tomorrow [Monday]," he said.

The BNP leader said the EC has assured them of taking all-out measures for ensuring credible polls. "But we can't keep confidence in the Commission as the prevailing atmosphere in the three cities is not conducive to fair polling."

He said police are arresting BNP leaders and activists and working in favour of the ruling party as the EC is not taking any action against them.

Khokon said they called upon the EC to take necessary steps so that BNP candidates' polling agents and supporters are not arrested without any warrant.

Election commissioners Mahbub Talukder and Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury were also present at the meeting.