Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Thursday urged Election Commission (EC) to immediately activate a fact-checking cell to counter misinformation, disinformation and smear campaigns on social media ahead of the upcoming national election.
“There is widespread propaganda surrounding the election on social media. Misinformation, disinformation and character assassination are taking place,” said Mahdi Amin, spokesperson for BNP’s election steering committee, while speaking to reporters at the party’s election office in Gulshan.
Against this backdrop, he said BNP has formally demanded the establishment of a fact-checking cell under the EC.
“We urge the Commission to make such a fact-checking mechanism operational nationwide without delay,” he added.
Mahdi warned that unchecked propaganda and character assassination on digital platforms could negatively affect the election environment.
He said Meta has recently verified the official Facebook and Instagram accounts of Barrister Zaima Rahman, daughter of BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman and clarified that she does not operate any other social media accounts.
The BNP leader said the party’s ICT wing has already taken down more than 50 fake accounts and pages involved in spreading deepfake and AI-generated content and is coordinating with Meta to remove additional such content.
Mahdi also alleged that numerous fake social media pages had been created using the name of Dr Zubaida Rahman, wife of Tarique Rahman, to circulate fabricated videos.
“We confirm that Dr Zubaida Rahman has no social media accounts and request people not to be misled,” he said.
He further said that BNP has launched a call centre allowing citizens to seek information, submit complaints or provide feedback by dialling 16543.
Mahdi also introduced the party’s ‘Match My Policy’ platform, through which the public can share opinions on BNP’s policy proposals for its forthcoming election manifesto.
Regarding the referendum scheduled for February 12, he said the BNP would take a “Yes” position on reform issues in line with its earlier proposals, including Vision 2030, the 27-point framework and the 31-point programme.
“We urge all democratic-minded citizens, institutions and political parties to contribute to building a transparent and accountable state system,” he said.
Mahdi also expressed concern over what he described as discriminatory placement of election symbols on postal ballots.
He claimed the BNP’s ‘paddy sheaf’ symbol had been placed at the bottom in a manner that reduced its visibility, suggesting the symbols be rearranged in columns or lines to ensure fairness.
He further alleged that the EC was creating complications over dual nationality issues, even though some BNP candidates who had previously lived abroad had renounced foreign citizenship after receiving nominations.
“There is no scope for unnecessary debate under Article 66 of the Constitution,” he said.
Finally, Mahdi claimed that several political parties were openly soliciting votes using party symbols both online and offline and said BNP expects the EC to ensure equal enforcement of election rules for all parties.
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