UP polls: Situation worsened, says BNP

Alleging that there were voting irregularities and clashes during today’s union parishad elections, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) today alleged that the electoral scenario in the country had worsened further.

BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan made the remarks after meeting the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) at the Election Commission office around 4:00pm when voting in the fourth phase of the UP election ended.

A three-member BNP delegation led by Khan met the CEC this afternoon to convey to the EC BNP observations.

“The overall election atmosphere in the country has deteriorated further rather than to improve,” Nazrul Islam Khan said.

“We are sorry to say that the process of vote irregularities, violence, and getting desired candidates elected that began earlier continued. For these, the elections have lost acceptability,” the BNP leader also said.

Terming elections as the driving force of democracy, he further said people will soon lose their respect for the electoral process and for democracy if the elections are not held in an acceptable and congenial manner.

When asked about BNP’s next action plan, Nazrul Islam Khan said his party would follow democratic means to resist voting irregularities and restore people’s faith in elections and democracy.