‘Govt staged farcical NCC polls, stole votes at night’: BNP

BNP standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy today claimed that the government “stole votes” at night but did not do any offence during the day in a bid to stage a farcical Narayanganj City Corporation election.

“We think they [government] wanted to show people through a farcical election that they can hold it in free and fair manner and still their popularity will not be challenged. That’s why they didn’t carry out any offence during the day, they committed theft at night,” he said at a discussion this afternoon.

Voice of Democracy¸ a pro-BNP platform, organised the discussion at the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka.

Stressing on the fact that 12 out of 27 BNP-backed councilor candidates have won in the NCC polls, Goyeshwar said it is unbelievable that those who have cast their vote for the BNP-backed councilor candidates did not vote for the BNP-nominated mayoral contestant.

“It’s unbelievable that people who have cast their votes in favour of the BNP-backed councilor candidates in different wards didn’t vote for the BNP-nominated mayoral candidate,” the BNP senior leader said.  

“We are aware of what had happened at night [prior to the voting day]. Therefore, it seemed that vote theft, and not vote robbery, took place in NCC polls.” 

He added that the national election will not be free and fair without being held under an election time government which is free of political influence.