"The election was free and fair and was held in the most peaceful manner. There was not a single incident of trouble at any polling centre," said BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan.

The allegations brought by the Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh (BDB) are 'completely false and baseless' and the party has not lodged any complaint with any presiding officer regarding alleged ouster of its polling agents, he said.

Addressing a post-polls press conference at the four-party nominee Mosaddak Ali Falu's polling office in Tejgaon, Bhuiyan said Bikalpadhara contested the election not to win it. The newly floated party just participated in the polls with the motive of bringing allegations against the BNP and as a strategy for its publicity, he thought.

Bhuiyan, also minister for LGRD and Cooperatives, said the BDB went to the High Court on issues like polls symbol and deployment of army just for publicity.

On the allegation of forcible ouster of polling agents of BDB candidate Abdul Mannan, the minister said the party was formed only recently and a few people joined it from the BNP. " The party has no committee anywhere in the country… It has a 12-member convening committee but no thana committee even in the capital. So, where they will find polling agents," he noted.

"We had information the Awami League (AL) would provide polling agents for the BDB candidate. But we do not know why they (AL) finally did not do it," he said.

Bhuiyan however mentioned he had come to know hired polling agents sought money from Mannan but he declined to give them money as he was not serious about contesting the polls.

On deployment of army at each polling centre, the BNP leader said troops were very much present at each centre and were on movement within half a minute's distance from the centres. Besides, there were huge contingents of Bangladesh Rifles, police, Armed Police Battalion and Ansars at each centre, he added.

Bhuiyan said the Election Commission has declined to cancel the polls as demanded by the BDB because the situation did not justify it.

He rejected outright the allegation of any interference in the election by the government or the BNP.

The BDB allegations were pre-planned because the AL president also made similar allegations at about the same time, Bhuiyan felt.

He said instead of complaining to the presiding officers, the BDB leaders went straight to the Election Commission to demand cancellation of the polls.

Others present at the press conference included DCC Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Housing and Public Works Minister Mirza Abbas, Barisal Mayor Mujibur Rahman Sarwar, Bangladesh Red Crescent Society Chairman ZA Khan and BNP MPs Sakhawat Hossain Bakul, Salahuddin Ahmed and Nurul Kabir Shaheen and ruling alliance candidate Mosaddak Ali Falu.