BNP's decision to boycott the election halfway into the voting has surprised most observers. The decision is at best a knee-jerk response bearing all the signs of haste and impolitic reaction. It has also exposed the fact that the party puts little faith in the people, particularly its supporters.   

In spite of the manner in which the voting process was interfered with, and the failure or unwillingness of the EC to take cognizance of the happenings on ground, the number of votes obtained by the BNP supported mayoral candidates in the three city corporations is a very respectable figure. And that is even more creditable when one considers the fact that more than 90 percent of the votes were cast within only 3-4 hours of the start of voting in all the three constituencies; and one cannot  say what might have been the final count had the BNP not decided to abandon the elections midway. Thus we fail to understand BNP's logic in doing so. 

Insofar as BNP's accusation of election manipulation is concerned, it should have followed the established procedure and produced the evidence to the EC in support of its claim, for example, that many of their polling agents were barred from entering the polling centres. 

BNP's decision, as much as it has done disservice to the election process has also disappointed its supporters, workers and the party supported councillor candidates. It has also raised questions regarding the intention of the party and whether or not joining the election was merely a political ploy. It has marred the party's credibility too.