Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Monday alleged that the government is not cooperating with the Election Commission in holding Tuesday’s elections to three city corporations in a free and fair manner.

‘The government’s all-out cooperation to the Election Commission is required in holding a free and fair election. The commission’s activities have given us an impression that the government is not doing this,’ said BNP office spokesman Asaduzzaman Ripon.

He said the EC revised its decision of army deployment in the polls as the government did not cooperate with it. ‘They changed the decision as they did not get the green signal from the government.’

Ripon, also the BNP international affairs secretary, also alleged that many untoward incidents, including attacks on their chairperson Khaleda Zia, and different candidates, harassment of opposition men, intimidation of voters, took place over the polls as the government is not serious about it.

Mentioning that there is still one day left to hold the polls, the BNP leader urged the government to ensure a free and fair election as it will not bring about any change in power even the three opposition-backed mayoral runners come out successful.

‘We hope the government will make the city polls an example and background for holding the next national election. We hope tomorrow’s (Tuesday’s) polls will be free and fair, and voters will be able to exercise their franchise without any fear,’ he said.

He warned the government that the UN, international organisations and foreign missions in Bangladesh have the high voltage focus on the city polls.

Ripon alleged the ruling party men are intimidating the opposition-backed candidates, their agents and voters as the commission is playing a silent role to this end.

He criticised the EC for approving the highest number of observers of a little known organisations to monitor Tuesday’s elections to Dhaka south and Dhaka north city corporations.

He said the EC has approved 1,000 overseers -- 500 each in two Dhaka cities -- of an unknown organisation Manabadhikar and Samaj Unnayan Sangstha which has no prior experience of doing such job.

‘We apprehend that the EC has engaged the unknown organisations like Manabadhikar and Samaj Unnayan Sangstha in observing the polls in a bid to get a certificate from them that the election is free and fair. We urge the commission to concentrate on holding the polls in a free and fair shunning its evil efforts of having a certificate from controversial organisations,’ Ripon said.

He said they will not accept the certificates of such controversial organisations, and urged the Commission to keep the unknown and inexperienced organisations out of election monitoring duty.

‘Stand up making your bending spine straight, or else, quit,’ he said pointing at the Chief Election Commissioner.