STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Leaders of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami yesterday met the Chief Election Commissioner with various complaints and accused the other party of disrupting the election environment without mentioning each other by name.

“A party is forming ‘peace committees’ in various areas under the pretext of law enforcement -- the term ‘peace committee’ carries historical controversy,” said BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan after the meeting in the morning.

Through this, fear may be created among the public and attempts may be made to suppress the opposition.

The commission, however, said no decision has been made to form such committees and they have no knowledge of this matter, he said, adding that the party has been campaigning in religious institutions in violation of EC rules.

He also alleged unusually high voter migration in certain constituencies before the election.

“Where only 4–5 people are supposed to live, 20–30 voters have been shown. In many cases, voter registration was done without holding numbers. Although the EC says it has found no evidence of these, we are not satisfied with the information provided.”

He urged the EC to provide detailed constituency-wise migration information and demanded strict action if any suspicious evidence is found.

“Leaders and activists of certain political parties are working outside their own areas. Although there is no direct legal prohibition, we demand that outsiders leave the area at least two days before the election to prevent any kind of disorder,” Khan added.

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