Even after announcement of the election schedule, the government will try to thwart the polls to the divided Dhaka City Corporations, senior BNP leader Moudud Ahmed said on Friday.
‘The ruling party is plotting to halt the elections in their tracks after they felt the BNP will surely win them,’ he said at a discussion at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Friday.
Though the main opposition’s policymaker claimed the government was plotting, he would not give any instance to back up his allegation.
Moudud said, ‘The DCC elections are a non-party voting. BNP-backed candidates will have a landslide victory in the polls.’
He added that his party was ready to ‘take part’ in the DCC polls.
According to the schedule announced by the Election Commission, the polls to the North and South city corporations would be held on May 24 and nominations would be available until April 19.
As both the ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP have already started preparations, a Supreme Court lawyer on Thursday served a legal notice on the commission demanding a halt to the process on grounds of violation of legal provisions.
The notice asked the EC not to hold the elections without ensuring adherence to the provisions of some sections of the Local Government (City Corporation) Act.
The polls are scheduled for May 24.
The former law minister renewed his call to the railways minister, Suranjit Sengupta, to resign taking the responsibility over the recovery of money from the car in which his aide was moving.
‘Mr Suranjit should resign for the sake of proper investigation,’ he said.
‘The public will not be able to see the progress in the probe into the incident if you (Suranjit) do not resign your post.’
Moudud said the minister should leave his office ‘if he thinks he is not guilty.’
Suranjit has drawn widespread criticism after Border Guard Bangladesh members seized unaccounted for Tk 7 million in cash from a car carrying his assistant personal secretary Omar Faruq Talukder and Railway Division general manager (East) Yusuf Ali Mridha in the wee hours of Tuesday.
Later, Suranjit formed two separate committees to investigate the incident.