UP Polls: BNP urges voters not to go to polling stations Wednesday

The BNP on Tuesday urged the voters not to go to the polling stations tomorrow (Wednesday) to cast their votes in the first phase of Upazila Parishad (UP) polls.

"The upazila polls will start tomorrow (Wednesday) and will be held in four phases. We call upon everyone to tell your relatives, brothers and sisters all over the country not to go to the polling stations,” said BNP‍‍`s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.

The BNP leader also said no one should support the dummy elections to the upazila parishads. It’s a sham, farcical and fraudulent voting. People won’t participate in the polls.”

Just a day before the first phase of UP polls, Rizvi came up with the remarks while distributing leaflets-- containing BNP’s call to boycott elections-- to pedestrians, vehicle drivers and passengers in the capital’s Banani area.

Rizvi said the country’s people turned down the dummy national election on January 7 arranged by the current usurper government. “The regime is once again going to conduct sham elections to upazilas. But those who believe in democracy will also boycott this upazila election."

He said the country’s people have no interest in going to the polling stations since the government has snatched their right to franchise.

The BNP leader said the government is holding the lopsided upazila polls, excluding the people and excluding the participation of the opposition parties, to create scope for the ruling party leaders to indulge in plundering and grabbing people’s assets.

“We believe that the people will boycott the upazila elections that will be held in four phases, including tomorrow’s (Wednesday’s) one. We call upon all to boycott and say no to the upazila polls,” he said.

The first phase of the upazila elections will commence on Wednesday, with polls set to open in 140 out of the total 495 upazilas.

The 2nd phase of elections are scheduled to be held on May 23, the third phase on May 29, and the fourth phase on June 5.

BNP remains steadfast in its decision not to participate in the upazila elections, mirroring its stance on the last national election, asserting that fair elections are impossible under the Awami League government.