Dhaka: BNP on Wednesday turns down the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) election results and demanded reelection to it.

‘It’s only a mockery in the name of election in Gazipur. They’ve invented a new tactic of vote rigging and applied it,’ said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Speaking at a press conference, he further said, ‘We turn down Gazipur city election results with hatred and we demand reelection to it.’

BNP arranged the press conference at its chairperson’s Gulshan office to give the party’s formal reaction over the election results.

Fakhrul urged people to take a strong stance against vote rigging in Gazipur.

He alleged that the Gazipur election was held in the same manner as in Khulna.

‘Awami League has taken the election results into its favour by using law enforcers, administration and the Election Commission as it has got isolated from people,’ the BNP leader said.

He also alleged that the government snatched BNP’s victory with the direct help of the EC in Gazipur.

‘They’re using the state machinery and threatening media to refrain from presenting the facts,’ he further said.

Awami League candidate Jahangir Alam was declared elected in the GCC election on Wednesday as he defeated his rival BNP contestant Hasan Uddin Sarker by a huge margin of 4.10 lakh votes.

Fakhrul said the GCC polls once again manifested that no fair and credible election can be held under Awami League.

He, however, said their party will join the upcoming Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barishal city polls as part of their party’s ongoing movement to unmask the government and the EC and expose their real traits further.

The BNP leader urged the EC to perform its constitutional duty properly and independently.

He also urged the voters to go to the polling stations to exercise their democratic rights.

Replying to a question, Fakhrul said they want the EC to be reconstituted as the current Commission has ‘completely failed’ to perform its duty.

He demanded the government immediately release its chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail.

Party standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain alleged that their party mayoral candidate’s many agents were obstructed from going to polling stations. ‘Even, some agents were not allowed to come out of their houses.’

He said the government with the help of the EC and local administration manipulated the election results in its favour.

Party standing committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said the government has taken an election project. ‘As part of it, they held the elections in the same style both in Khulna and Gazipur. We must foil this election project to restore democracy.’