Special Correspondent, Dhaka: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is preparing leaflets calling the people to reject the ‘one-side’ election of this government in addition to enforcing hartals and blockades.
Sources said the BNP will be enforcing hartals and blockades and distributing the anti-election lefts until 7 January across the country.
”Sources concerned said the government has taken many strategies to bring voters to polling centres. The ruling party fielded candidates at almost all seats and also allowed independent candidates to contest the polls. Parties that boycotted the polls are mulling the launch of this anti-election campaign against the government’s strategy.”
Voting to the 12th parliamentary election will be held on 7 January. At the instruction of the election commission, the home ministry bans all political porgammes that may disrupt electioneering from 18 December to the end of voting.
The BNP leaders said this sudden ban has made it difficult for the party to organise rallies and meetings till the voting day. So, party policymakers decided to continue with hartal and blockade programmes till the voting day. More announcements on hartals and blockades are likely in coming day.
Policymakers are also mulling the announcement of an all-out programme in coordination with all opposition parties during the election week at the benign of January.
Sources concerned said the government has taken many strategies to bring voters to polling centres. The ruling party fielded candidates at almost all seats and also allowed independent candidates to contest the polls. Parties that boycotted the polls are mulling the launch of this anti-election campaign against the government’s strategy.
In the leaflets, people will be called to reject the voting in this one-sided and shared election of the ruling Awami League.
It has also been learned that, BNP, Jamaat-e-Islam, Ganatantra Mancha and other coalitions and parties will distribute separate leaflets.
Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) has already printed pamphlets with the call ‘Boycott the election of farce, eliminate the bad governance’ and started distributing those.
CPB in their leaflets said, “This election isn’t being held with the participation of all parties. Despite trying to show participation of many parties by creating newer parties and through independent candidates, the election actually is about to be a one-sided farce.”
“People don’t have any interest in voting. Realising that, the government is using various ill tactics including intimidation to show people’s turnout in the polling stations. Under the circumstances, the 2024 election will turn into a farcical election,” it added.
Amir of Islami Andolan, Charmonai Pir Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim from several programmes has already called upon the people and political parties not to participate in the ‘one-sided and fake’ election under the current government.
BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told Prothom Alo last night that basically the results of this election have already been fixed beforehand. The election commission will just announce the result on that day, according to the list.
Leaders of BNP and other parties involved in simultaneous movement with them believe, most of the parties that have public support have boycotted the election this time.
So, along with the field level programmes, if separate calls of boycotting the polls from the political parties can be extended to the voters, the government’s strategy of bringing the voters to the polling stations can be neutralised to a great extent.
People concerned say the government might have issued a notice banning an anti-election campaign as an early warning.
BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told Prothom Alo last night that basically the results of this election have already been fixed beforehand. The election commission will just announce the results on that day, according to the list.
The public irrespective of their party affiliation or views will collectively boycott this fixed, ridiculous and farcical election, Rizvi added.
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