Dhaka: As the polling continues in the country, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) spokesperson Mahdi Amin said that the party is confident and “on track” to win the elections.
In an exclusive interview with ThePrint, Amin talked about the elections, alleged rigging and the scattered incidents of violence that have been reported since polling began early morning on Thursday.
“People are voting after eight years so there is widespread hunger for free, fair and credible elections where it is peaceful and people can come without fear, and vote and choose their own representatives,” he said to a question on the BNP’s expectation from the polls.
He added that while isolated incidents have been reported, the law enforcement agencies and the election commission are playing a “strong role” in maintaining law and order. He also urged these stakeholders to play a “neutral” and “professional” role by ensuring that there are no irregularities.
A BNP leader was killed Thursday morning in Khulna Sadar, after clashes broke out between supporters of the Jamaat and BNP, local newspaper The Business Standard reported.
As of 12 pm, the election commission reported a voter turnout of 32.88 percent at 32,789 polling centres, The Daily Star reported. There are approximately 43,000 polling centres in the country.
As for rival parties and BNP’s position in the elections, Amin projected that BNP is the only party with “concrete policies” and that its chief Tarique Rahman has a following all over the country.
“We rest our fate on the people,” he said, regarding the reports of attempts at rigging and electoral manipulation. “We saw our opposition make attempts to take control of the polling centres […], but the people of Bangladesh are united to counter or obstruct any attempts of rigging or manipulation.”
Amin is confident that the “pro-democracy stakeholders” will ensure that the mandate and will of the people prevail.
There have been claims of “illegal voting” have surfaced with the BNP’s students wing alleging that the Jamaat supporters are “misleading and outcasting” voters at polling stations, news agency ANI reported.
Reiterating BNP’s agenda, Amin said that their first priority would be improving the law and order situation, establishing a “truly accountable” and “transparent” government whose core would be pro-people policy making governance. Lastly, the party would work to implement Rahman’s vision to “change the face of the country and the fate of the people”.
The Tarique Rahman-led party is contesting 292 seats in Bangladesh, leaving the remaining eight constituencies to its allies. Primarily, it is facing a straight contest from an alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, commonly known as Jamaat.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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