BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir terms the High Court stay order on Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) as complete failure of the Election Commission (EC).

He made the reaction while talking to reporters in response to the HC order against DNCC mayoral by-polls on Wednesday noon (January 17).

Fakhrul said, “We also think that this move is politically motivated. The EC should have been taken all preparations earlier.”

“If there is actually any lacking on the ground the writ was filed and the HC issued rule then its responsibility goes on to the EC. The same writ was filed an year ago but what have the EC done since then. If there was a problem then they should have fixed it. However, EC took no such action.”

Mentioning that the government wished to stop the polls, Fakhrul said government is benefited both ways. In one hand, the polls must be held within the EC given schedule. On the other hand, they shut the election by creating scope for it.

The BNP leader also alleged that government wants to stop BNP’s mayoral candidate, who has a real chance of winning, is the main reason to halt the election. We believe our candidate had a better chance of wining the popular vote but AL does not want that to happen especially before the general election knocking at the door.