Leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) persist in engaging in mass communication and distributing leaflets to rally public support for the party’s call to boycott the upcoming upazila elections and not to cooperate with the Awami League government. The party leaders have labeled the upazila polls as “dummy” this time around.
A total of 152 upazilas in the country will go to polls in the first phase on May 8. The upazila elections will take place in four phases. There are 492 upazilas in the country.
The Election Commission has already proved its impartiality, boldness, and capability by holding free, fair, and credible January 7 national parliamentary elections. We hope the upazila polls will also be held in a free, fair, and peaceful manner.
BNP leaders and activists did the same before the country’s January 7 national parliament elections and city corporations and other local body polls. In fact, the BNP’s call to boycott the election has been fused as people did not pay heed to their request.
BNP does not want elections, but looks forward to creating an abnormal situation in the country. They [BNP] wants to push Bangladesh into an unstable situation again.
Vote is the people’s constitutional rights, and people will cast their votes. No one has the rights to resist them from casting votes. If anyone does this, one day the people of the country will throw them out. That is the reality.
It is clear to all that they (BNP) have weaknesses in terms of leadership. They are not realistic at all. They would have come to elections to judge their position if they believed in reality.
BNP does not want
elections, but looks forward to
creating an abnormal
situation in the country
We all want a competitive election and we see all the candidates equally. If a large number of voters cast their votes, the acceptability of the election will be increased.
When people from all walks of life, the administration, and other stakeholders are cooperating with the Election Commission to hold a free, fair, and neutral upazila elections, BNP leaders and workers are conducting mass communication and distributing leaflets, urging people of the country to boycott the election.
BNP announcement (a ‘non-cooperation movement’) is a new mockery with the people. The talks of a ‘non-cooperation movement’ to oust the government do not suit those who failed to wage any proper movement democratically in the last 15 years and four months.
The BNP is now a political party isolated from the country’s people. The party (BNP) is now such a political party, which is devoid of link with the country’s people.
However, the people of the country will not respond to the BNP's “non-cooperation movement,” as they have maintained trust in the Election Commission and the government. They are expected to actively participate in the upcoming upazila polls, as they did in the January 7 national elections.
It is evident that the BNP's leadership does not prioritise the welfare of the people, instead opting to incite fear and disrupt the democratic process for personal gain.
Despite the BNP's reluctance to participate in voting, it is clear that the people of Bangladesh reject violence and support democratic process. Eminent citizens in all strata of society have called for efforts to prevent any attempts to derail the upcoming upazila polls.