BNP has alleged that there is a conspiracy underway to manipulate the national election

BNP Central Election Steering Committee Spokesperson Mahdi Amin on Saturday alleged that a political party is systematically working to engineer the national election and influence its outcome.

Speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Gulshan election office, Mahdi said several recent incidents point to a coordinated attempt to manipulate the voting process. He claimed the party has received reports from different parts of the country that large numbers of burqas and niqabs have been prepared to exploit religious sentiments and facilitate fake voting.

Mahdi, who is also an adviser to BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman, said the recovery of six illegal voting seals in Laxmipur and the arrest of a printing press owner lend strong support to their allegations. According to him, the press owner admitted before a court that the seals were produced on the instructions of a Jamaat-e-Islami leader.

He said preliminary investigations uncovered WhatsApp order details, seized materials and evidence of close links with a concerned candidate, suggesting a broader conspiracy to influence the election. On behalf of BNP, Mahdi demanded that all those involved be brought to justice.

The BNP leader reiterated his claim that burqas and niqabs have been prepared in various regions to enable fake voting. He urged the Election Commission to ensure a sufficient number of female polling officers in women’s booths and to strictly enforce voter identification rules by requiring voters to uncover their faces during voting, in line with existing laws and guidelines.

Mahdi noted that the Election Commission has already issued clear directives mandating uncovered faces during voter identification, similar to procedures followed for National ID cards or Hajj photographs. He also stressed the importance of political parties appointing female polling agents in women’s booths to ensure transparency and credibility.

He further alleged that the same political party had earlier gone door to door collecting National ID information and mobile banking numbers, raising serious concerns about potential fake voting. Mahdi also claimed to have information indicating preparations to print additional ballot papers.

Referring to a recent law enforcement drive, he said 152 cricket stumps were recovered from the house of a leader of that party in Sutrapur in Old Dhaka, questioning whether there were plans to incite violence during the election. He called on authorities to intensify monitoring.

Concerns over election observers

Mahdi also expressed concern over alleged irregularities in the appointment of election observers, claiming that some observer organisations have links to a particular political party. He cited the People’s Association for Social Advancement (PASA), which he said has been approved to deploy the highest number of observers.

Out of 55,454 local observers approved nationwide, Mahdi said PASA alone has been allocated 10,559. He claimed the organisation reportedly operates from a single room in a village house in Habiganj with only one person, a matter previously reported in the media.

Mahdi said BNP has already informed the Election Commission about such organisations and believes these issues threaten the prospects of a free, fair and credible election. He urged the Election Commission and the interim government to take necessary measures to ensure a level playing field for all political parties and to guarantee a free, fair and neutral election.