Bangladesh elections: BNP chief Tariq Rahman casts his vote, says, ‘People got their rights back’

Dhaka, 12 February. Voting for the 13th parliamentary elections has started in Bangladesh on Thursday. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) President Tariq Rahman has cast his vote at Gulshan Model High School and College Centre. He reached the voting center around 9:30 am and was accompanied by his wife, Dr. Zubaida Rehman and daughter Zaima Rehman. After casting his vote, Tariq spoke to the media at the polling center and appealed to as many people as possible to take part in voting.

The BNP chief is contesting from two seats, Dhaka-17 and Bogra-6. Tight security arrangements have been made at polling stations across the country including the capital. Appealing to voters to turn out in large numbers, Tariq said, “The people of Bangladesh were waiting for this day for a long time. Today, people have got their rights back.” He further said that he has received reports of unwanted incidents from different parts of the country on Wednesday night. If people come to the polling center in large numbers, any conspiracy can be foiled. Expressing hope of victory, the BNP Chief said that if elected, improving the law and order situation would be his priority.

He also said that voting is the main way people exercise their power in the democratic process. The BNP president expressed hope that the elections would be held in a peaceful and fair environment, which would reflect the decision of the people. According to Bangladeshi media, people have been gathering at different polling centers in Dhaka since morning. The Election Commission said that voting started as per schedule at 7:30 am and will continue till 4.30 pm. Awami League has been banned from elections for five years.

For this reason, there is a contest between BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami Party in this election. Voting is taking place on 299 parliamentary seats, and counting of votes will begin immediately after the voting ends. On the other hand, a statement issued by the Awami League said, “The atmosphere of these sham elections has been dominated by mob terror, including lynching and brutal torture. The jails are not only filled with Awami League supporters, but many journalists, human rights activists and anti-war crimes campaigners have been imprisoned on false murder charges.”

On the condition of minorities after the ouster of the Awami League government, the party said, “Ahead of this farcical election, lakhs of minorities have reached the verge of extinction. They have been given complete freedom for murder and violence by calling them supporters of the Awami League. Women, who constitute half of the voters, are waiting for a bad future. They have also been kept out of making national policies in the name of building democracy and this is a very bad phase.”