DHAKA, Feb 04, 2020 (BSS) – Awami League General Secretary and Road
Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said the Dhaka city
elections were held in a free and fair manner.
“No major clash took place during the city elections except one or two
sporadic incidents. In the future, we have to take lessons from the city
polls (held on February 1 last),” he said while briefing on contemporary
affairs at the Secretariat here.
About BNP’s rejection of the city polls results, the AL general secretary
said BNP was in a leadership crisis and haphazard in the city elections.
“Despite that, I think the party did well in the elections…as an opposition
party, they did not fail.”
Asked why the city elections saw poor turnout of voters, he said negative
campaign against the EVM use and creating panic among voters contributed to
the low-voter turnout.
“There was a huge propaganda against the EVM use, the ruling party and the
city elections as well. Besides, there was a warning that BNP would remain
alert. But the elections were fair… by taking lessons from the mistakes,
the political parties will play an important role in creating public opinion
in the future,” Quader said.
In the country’s politics, he said, voters’ apathy to elections is not good
for democracy.
“There was only 27 percent voter turnout in the city polls and we did not
expect this. We had expected more votes in our favour. Considering the voters
of Awami League, the vote percentage was low,” the road transport minister
said.
He said there was an organisational weakness and that is why it is an
urgent to reform the ward level committees of Awami League.
Terming the attack on journalists during the city polls ‘an isolated
incident’, Quader said but it should not have happened.
“I don’t know where the reporters were attacked. I’ll keep an eye out so
that such incidents don’t occur in the future. There were no major clashes
during the elections,” he added.
Responding to a question, the AL general secretary said once Awami League
Working Committee President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returns home
from Italy, she will hold a meeting. “The Prime Minister said she will hold a
meeting on the overall weakness of the city elections,” he added.