BNP Central Election Steering Committee Spokesperson Mahdi Amin on Tuesday accused Jamaat-e-Islami of attempting to buy votes, calling the alleged acts a sign of political bankruptcy and a blatant violation of the election code of conduct.
Speaking at a press conference at BNP Election Office in Gulshan, Mahdi said it was alarming that vote-buying allegations had surfaced even in the constituency of Jamaat’s own party chief.
“If this is happening there, one can easily imagine the situation across the country,” he said.
Mahdi alleged that a party which regularly claims to oppose corruption is now luring voters; including children, with money as part of its election campaign, a move he described as a serious breach of electoral rules driven by fear of inevitable defeat due to a lack of public support.
Referring to Dhaka-15 constituency, he claimed that a senior lawyer and leader of Jamaat was publicly seen distributing money to seek votes for the party’s election symbol.
Videos of the incident, he said, have gone viral nationwide and drawn widespread criticism.
“If a party that speaks daily against corruption distributes money in the voting field; even in the constituency of its own chief, there can be no clearer example of hypocrisy and moral collapse,” Mahdi said.
He cited provisions of the Election Commission-issued Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates in Parliamentary Elections 2025, particularly Rule 4, which prohibits offering or promising donations, grants or gifts; openly or secretly, during the pre-election period.
Mahdi, also an adviser to BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, further quoted Rule 27, noting that such violations are punishable under Article 91B (3) of the Representation of the People Order, 1972, with penalties including imprisonment and fines for candidates and financial penalties for registered political parties.
Drawing the attention of the Election Commission and Returning Officers, he urged immediate legal action against those involved in vote-buying.
He also alleged similar incidents in the Khulna-1 constituency, where a candidate of the same party was reportedly seen distributing money among voters; an incident already covered by several media outlets.
Mahdi further claimed that Jamaat has adopted a nationwide vote-buying strategy, including collecting voter ID information and mobile financial service numbers such as bKash, Nagad and Rocket through door-to-door campaigns for what he termed dishonest purposes.
In addition, he alleged incidents of violence, saying that in Cumilla-11 (Chauddagram), armed activists of the party attacked BNP leaders and activists at night using homemade weapons.
Similar attacks were reported in Bogura-4, where BNP leaders were assaulted in Thaltamajh village of Nandigram upazila, leaving several people seriously injured, with homes vandalised and looted, creating fear among local residents.
The BNP leader called for immediate intervention by local administration, Returning Officers and law enforcement agencies to address the situation.
Mahdi said the official campaign period ran from January 22 until 7:30AM on Tuesday and that reports by local and international media, surveys by credible organisations, large turnouts at rallies addressed by BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman and ground-level observations all indicate strong public support for BNP.
He claimed that a nationwide wave in favour of BNP has made a landslide victory inevitable if the election is held in a free, fair and credible manner.
Realising this, Mahdi alleged, a particular party has intensified propaganda, misused religion, hinted at violence and shown signs of preparing for vote rigging; actions he described as further evidence of political bankruptcy.
“No amount of propaganda, financial manipulation or violence will be able to stop BNP’s inevitable victory,” he said, adding that democracy-loving people will resist such attempts and assert their rights.
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