Over 400 candidates boycott polls halfway through

BD Correspondent: The main opposition alliance Jatiya Oikya Front on Sunday demanded immediate fresh general election under a non-party government rejecting the results of the day’s 11th parliamentary elections.

Front chief Dr Kamal Hossain, flanked by top alliance leaders, made the demand giving primary reaction to the Bangladesh elections at his Baily road house in Dhaka at about 8:00pm while over 400 candidates of different political parties boycotted the elections halfway through the polls alleging unprecedented election rigging and intimidation across the country.

Kamal Hossain, also the Gono Forum president, said that the opposition alliance rejected the ‘so-called’ results of the elections.

He said that they received reports of similar incidents of ‘vote robbery’ from almost all constituencies and over 100 of their candidates of and many candidates of different political parties boycotted the polls.
He said that they would sit in a meeting today to decide the next course of action.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that the Election Commission and the government made a a ‘cruel mockery’ of the elections and democracy.

He said it would cause long-term harm to the country.
Fakhrul said that the elections proved that their decision to boycott the January 5, 2014 general election was correct and fair elections were never possible under the partisan government.

Before giving the instant reaction, the top front leaders, including Kamal Hossain, Fakhrul, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal faction president ASM Abdur Rob, Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury, and Gono Forum executive president Subrata Chowdhury and general secretary Mosta Mohsin Montu, had a brief meeting at Kamal’s house.

BNP standing committee, the party’s highest policymaking body, will sit in a meeting at jailed party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office at 4:00pm Monday to be followed by a meeting of the BNP-led alliance at 6:00pm at the same venue to decide the next course of action, BNP chairperson’s press wing member Shamsuddin Didar said.
Earlier in the day, 299 candidates of Islami Andolan Bangladesh collectively, about 100 Oikya Front candidates individually, 26 Jamaat candidates, including 24 nominated by the BNP-led

alliance, Ershad-led Jatiya Party presidium member Shunil Shuvo Roy and several other independent candidates boycotted the polls.
They alleged that ruling Awami League activists beat their polling agents and forced them to leave the polling station, took control of the polling stations and stuffed ballot boxes with stamped ballots with the support of the polling and presiding officers and law enforcers.

The boycotts of the polls were announced at press conferences by the Islami Andolan Bangladesh in front of Barishal Town Hall at 2:00pm, BNP candidates for Dhaka 8 Mirza Abbas and Dhaka 9 Afroza Abbas at at their house, Shah Moazzem Hoosain for Munshiganj 1 at his house, Mujibur Rahman Sarwar for Barishal 5 at Barishal Press Club at noon, Joynal Abedin for Feni 2, Akbar Hossain for Feni 3, Sultan Mahmud Babu for Jamalpur 2, Mostafizur Rahman Babul for Jamalpur 3, Nagorik Oikya candidate GM Nuru and Khelafat Andolan candidate Mahbub Alam for Barishal 5.

Jamaat secretary general Shafiqur Rahman in a statement said that all of its 26 candidates boycotted the elections.
Candidates boycotted the polls issuing releases, included Jatiya Party presidium member Shunil Shuvo Roy for Khulna 1, independent candidates Salma Islam for Dhaka 1 and Heru Alam for Bogura 4.