MEGHNA, Bangladesh — A senior BNP leader said votes cast in Meghna during the 2018 general election were diverted to Cumilla to ensure his defeat.
Khondkar Mosharraf Hossain, a senior member of the BNP national standing committee and the party’s candidate for the Cumilla-1 seat, said many polling centers had recorded 100 percent of votes cast in favor of the Awami League’s boat symbol in 2018, which he said was not possible.
“To make me lose, votes from Meghna were taken to Cumilla and announced there,” he said.
Mosharraf spoke at a public rally on Saturday in Cumilla’s Meghna upazila following a procession ahead of the upcoming 13th national parliamentary election.
The procession began at Radhanagar in the upazila and ended at the bus counter area. Mosharraf was the chief guest at the rally, which was held on the grounds of Manikarchar Lal Mia Sarkar Latif Munshi High School.
“I have come to Meghna after a long time. I contested an election from here before. Together with M.K. Anwar, we carried out various development works in the area,” he said.
He said action was now being taken against the police superintendents and deputy commissioners who had been involved in election manipulation. “In the past elections, the day’s voting took place at night,” he said. He ended his speech with prayers for the recovery of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and a call for votes in favor of the party’s sheaf-of-paddy symbol.
Khondkar Maruf Hossain, a member of the BNP national executive committee, was the chief speaker. Azharul Islam Mannan, another national executive committee member, was a special guest. The procession was presided over by Romiz Uddin Londoni, a former convener of the Meghna upazila BNP, and moderated by joint convener M.M. Mizanur Rahman. Also present were former upazila Mahila Dal president Dilara Shirin, former member-secretary Salauddin Sarkar, former Jubo Dal convener Ataur Rahman Chairman, and leaders and workers of the BNP, Jubo Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal, Mahila Dal and Chhatra Dal.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report