Jatiya Party mayoral candidate in Sylhet concerned over CEC's comment
Nazrul Islam Babul, the mayoral candidate from Jatiya Party in the Sylhet City Corporation election, expressed his concerns regarding a comment made by the chief election commissioner during the Barisal city polls.
Babul stated that the comment had left him feeling anxious and uneasy.
On the polling day in Barisal, the mayoral candidate of Islamic Movement Bangladesh Syed Faizul Karim was attacked. In response to a question in this regard, CEC Kazi Habibul Awal in Dhaka said, "We do not know whether the mayoral candidate in Barisal has bled or not. Now everything is relative. Has he passed away? As far as I know, someone punched him from behind. We saw that, but we did not see his bleeding."
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As the CEC's comments drew criticisms from many, Nazrul Islam Babul spoke about his fears after hearing such comments.
"I was appalled to hear the statement made by the CEC about a candidate after the Barisal city elections. The CEC is supposed to be impartial, but he appears to be siding with the ruling party candidate. I fear for the fairness of the Sylhet city elections," Babul said at a press conference in Sylhet on Wednesday (June 14).
Babul also complained that his party's election campaigns were being hampered in various ways, including the tearing down of their posters. He said that repeated complaints to the returning officer had been met with no response.
He also said that since the BNP and Islamic Andolon Bangladesh boycotted the elections in Sylhet, he has become a target.
Mentioning that he will not leave the polling ground even if he loses his life, Babul said, "If the ongoing city elections are fair, the country's image will shine abroad. Otherwise, it will be a dark chapter in the history of Sylhet."
