Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Wednesday demanded the reprinting of postal ballot papers for expatriate voters and government officials in the upcoming national elections, calling the current design “manipulative.”
The party also urged that the designers responsible for ballot papers be held accountable.
Speaking at a press conference at BNP’s election office in Dhaka's Gulshan, party Standing Committee member and Election Management Committee Chairman Nazrul Islam Khan alleged that the ballot design deliberately placed rival party symbols ahead of BNP’s emblem, potentially influencing voters’ choices.
“The postal ballot has five columns and fourteen rows, with the symbols for 'Daripalla' and 'Hatpakha' placed first, while BNP’s symbol, Dhan er Shish, is positioned at the end. This is not a coincidence but a deliberate act,” he said.
Nazrul Islam Khan also raised concerns over alleged unethical voter outreach practices, claiming that some political parties have been visiting households in Dhaka and nearby areas to collect voters’ NID copies, phone numbers and bKash details.
He warned that such activities could facilitate vote manipulation and inducement, calling them “a serious obstacle to a free and fair election.”
Calling the actions behind the postal ballot design “unjust and unethical,” he urged the Election Commission to correct the ballot layout and hold those responsible accountable.
Emphasizing the need for a level playing field, he said, “All parties, large or small, must have equal opportunity in the elections. Collecting voter IDs and bKash numbers, along with manipulating postal ballots, is a punishable offense.”
The BNP leader stressed that ensuring expatriates’ voting rights was a longstanding demand of the party, but the current ballot design undermines that goal, necessitating immediate corrective action.
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