Staff Correspondent:
The Election Steering Committee of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) issued a warning about the importance of the upcoming 13th parliamentary election and the current electoral situation at a press conference on Thursday (January 15, 2025). Dr. Mahdi Amin, Advisor and Spokesperson, Election Steering Committee, spoke at the press conference.
Dr. Mahdi Amin said, “Based on the anti-fascist movement of the last 16 years and the mass uprising of 24, we are standing at a very important stage of the election. This election will reflect the aspirations of the people and create a level playing field. However, unfortunately, various recent events are damaging this fair electoral environment.”
He further said, “A particular political party is continuously misusing religious sentiments to achieve their interests. Besides, it is seen on social media that some parties are going door to door to collect national identity cards and bKash numbers, which appears to be part of a dishonest plan. There has already been a controversy over the voting of expatriates in various countries in the Middle East.”
Dr. Mahdi Amin also mentioned the issue of expatriate voting rights. He said, “Voting is going to be held for the expatriates for the first time in Bangladesh. We want the highest equality and fairness to be ensured in the voting process of expatriates. Unfortunately, it has been seen that the symbol of the rice grain has been placed in the postal ballot in such a way that it is not easily visible, whereas the symbols of the rival parties are easily visible. Necessary investigation should be conducted into this.”
He further warned, “Numerous fake IDs are being created on social media in the names of BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, his wife Dr. Zubaida Rahman and daughter Jayma Rahman. AI videos are being created on these IDs to create confusion in the public mind. Therefore, I urge everyone to be aware of these issues.”
