BNP Cites 127 Cases of Jamaat Electoral Malpractice

On the eve of the national polls, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has lodged a formal and scathing set of grievances against its electoral ally, Jamaat-e-Islami. Speaking at an emergency press conference on Wednesday night, Nazrul Islam Khan, a member of the BNP Standing Committee, revealed that the party has documented 127 specific allegations of voter intimidation, financial bribery, and attempted booth capturing orchestrated by Jamaat activists across the country.

Allegations of Financial Inducement

A primary focus of the BNP’s complaint involves the recovery of "black money" allegedly intended for illicit distribution. Mr Khan highlighted the case of a senior Jamaat figure intercepted at Saidpur Airport with 7.4 million BDT in cash. While the family of the accused claimed the funds were related to business, Mr Khan pointed to tax records as a refutation.

"The individual in question paid a mere 3,000 BDT in income tax last year," Mr Khan remarked. "The claim that he is a wealthy businessman is fundamentally inconsistent with his financial disclosures. It is profoundly disappointing that those who profess political morality are linked to such incidents."

The BNP leader also addressed a controversy involving the Election Commission (EC) Secretary. Initial reports suggested the Secretary had downplayed the cash seizure, though he later claimed to have been misquoted. Mr Khan expressed his frustration, stating that such a high-ranking official should not be the subject of such "unfortunate" confusion during a sensitive period.

Notable Incidents of Reported Misconduct

Defence of Party Funding and 'Misinformation'

During the briefing, Mr Khan took the opportunity to contrast these allegations with what he described as a smear campaign against BNP leaders. Addressing the scrutiny surrounding Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, he clarified that the 1.5 million BDT associated with his campaign was earmarked for legitimate logistical costs across 130 polling centres and 807 booths.

He condemned "social media propaganda" and certain YouTubers who claimed figures as high as 80 million BDT or 20 million BDT were recovered from Mr Annie's vehicle. "There is a calculated effort by a specific quarter to conflate legitimate campaign expenses with the illegal bribery being practiced by others," he asserted.

Conclusion and Call for Neutrality

The BNP leadership reiterated that the discovery of a Jamaat leader in Narayanganj marking "Yes" ballots in a centre where his wife served as the Presiding Officer was a dark omen for electoral neutrality. Mr Khan concluded the session by urging the administration to act decisively against all forms of "booth capturing" and to ensure that the will of the people is not subverted by financial or physical coercion.