Dhaka: Mentioning that Awami League never does nomination business, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday asked all the party leaders and activists to work together to ensure its victory in the December-30 election.

‘To retain power and maintain the ongoing development trend, the most important thing is to ensure the win of the Boat staying together,’ she said.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing an election rally in Narail through videoconferencing from her residence Shuda Sadan in the capital, reports the UNB.

As a big party, Awami League has many nomination seekers for one seat, but the party has to pick only one candidate for one constituency, she said adding, ‘We’ve conducted several surveys two years after the last general election…we’ve selected our party candidates based on those surveys. But, AL didn’t do any business while selecting the candidates.’

Sheikh Hasina, also the President of the ruling Awami League, said, ‘It’s the habit of BNP to do election business. As a result, they’re now experiencing intraparty conflicts…they’ve held auctions for choosing their election candidates.’

Hasina said BNP men set fire to their own offices and shifted the blame onto another party.

The PM also said she has heard that the BNP men will wear Mujib Coat and badges of AL, BCL and Juba League on the election day to create anarchy and rig the votes. ‘I also heard they’re printing fake ballot papers…we’ve to save the country from this evil quarter,’ she said.                  

While addressing the Cox’s Bazar audience, Hasina said the AL government has fulfilled its all election pledges in the last two terms. ‘AL never reneges on its election manifesto.’

She said the government is working for the overall development of the country and its people. ‘We believe in the balanced development of the country, we’ve taken steps for the balanced development.’

Hasina mentioned that whenever AL comes to power it always works for the welfare of the country and it will do the same in the coming days.

‘We’ll ensure the overall development of the country so that we can build a hunger- and poverty-free Bangladesh which was the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,’ she said.

To keep up the trend of development, Hasina said, people will have to cast their votes in favour of AL in the upcoming election and give it another chance to serve them. ‘I’m requesting all to give us the chance,’ she said.       

If voted to power again, the Prime Minister said, it would be possible to implement the development programmes initiated by her government and thereby maintain the ongoing pace of progress.

The Prime Minister renewed her appeal to the people for casting votes for Awami League and Grand Alliance candidates so that the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation and the Golden Jubilee of Independence could be celebrated with Awami League in power.

Later, Sheikh Hasina introduced the Awami League and Grand Alliance candidates contesting the elections from different constituencies of Narail and Rajshahi.