A party delegation, led by its standing committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, went to the EC with a letter of BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

The BNP delegation also held a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda and other commissioners.

In the letter, Fakhrul said the EC still has the scope for proving its neutrality in the February-1 city polls. “Take steps for conducting the voting through the traditional ballot cancelling the EVM system taking the futility of the technology into consideration.” 

He hoped the Election Commission, as a constitutional institution, will take steps for holding the Dhaka city polls in a fair and transparent manner, and demonstrate its neutrality and independence by accepting their demand for not using the EVMs.

The other BNP delegation members include its standing committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, joint secretary general Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal and Chattogram-8 constituency candidate Abu Sufian.

At the meeting, the BNP leaders also demanded reelection to Chattogram-8 seat through ballot peppers instead of EVMs.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Khosru said the by-polls to Chattogram-8 was even worse than December-30 national election as the ruling party ‘cadres’ captured all the polling stations and rigged votes through the EVMs . 

He said the by-polls also exposed that vote rigging is possible through the EVMs.

Khosru said they urged the Commission to cancell the by-polls and take steps for fresh voting through ballot papers.