Upazila polls were free, fair and neutral: Awami League

Claiming this at a press conference held at the political office of Awami League president Sheikh Hasina at Dhanmondi in the city, party presidium member and Communications Minister Obaidul Quader said the upazila polls were credible this time despite the facts that an environment of violence and war of words existed in the elections.

In reply to BNP leaders' allegations of rigging and intimidation of Awami League in the polls, the senior Awami League (AL) leader said, "Our candidates were defeated even in many constituencies of our ministers. BNP candidate won in Peerganj and our party candidate was defeated in Kishoreganj Sadar while an independent candidate won in Gopalganj. On the other hand, we could not win even in any upazilas in Bogra."

"Many candidates of Jamaat-e-Islami, which was banned by the Election Commission, won the polls. If there was any rigging, how BNP could secure victory in 164 upazilas in the polls?" Quader posed a question.

He alleged that BNP leadership resorted to ugly falsehood, indecorous and baseless propaganda in their ulterior motive to create doubt about the credibility of upazila polls.

Relying to a question on polls violence, the Communications Minister said, "The starting phase of the upazila polls was good and its concluding phase was also good to some extent as the government ordered the district administrations to ensure free, fair and neutral polls."

The senior leader of the ruling party said Awami League has been thinking of holding of the upazila polls on party-basis as the major political parties extended support to the candidates of their choice although there was no provision for direct nomination of any political party in the structure of local bodies' polls. "Awami League was not an exception to it. So, it can't be claimed in any way that there was not any political involvement in the upazila polls," he added.

The Minister also claimed that a total of 5,753 elections including by-polls to the Jatiya Sangsad and local bodies were held in free, fair and neutral manner during the rule of the present government in which 63,953 public representatives were elected.

Awami League joint general secretaries Dr Dipu Moni and Advocate Jahangir Kabir Nanak, organising secretaries Ahmed Hossain and Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, labour affairs secretary Habibur Rahman Siraj, information and research affairs secretary Advocate Afzal Hossain, health affairs secretary Dr Badiuzzaman Bhuiyan Dublew, relief and social welfare affairs secretary Faridunnahar Laily, deputy office secretary Advocate Mrinal Kanti Das, deputy publicity secretary Asim Kumar Ukil and AL central working committee members Sujit Roy Nandi and Aminul Islam Amin were present, among others.