Dhaka: BNP on Thursday said that it has no candidate for 162 chairman posts in the first and second phases of the Union Council (UC) polls due to ruling party’s obstruction and cancellation of nominations on trivial grounds.

‘In the first and second phases of Union Council polls, our 162 candidates were either prevented from filing nominations or forced to withdraw their candidatures or cancelled their nominations on lame excuses,’ said BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.

Speaking at a press briefing at BNP’s Nayapaltan Central office, he also said the Election Commission has turned a blind eye to election irregularities and violation of the code of conduct by Awami League men.

‘About 150 ruling party chairman candidates have been elected unopposed in the two phases due to the partial role of the Election Commission,’ the BNP leader observed.

He said the ruling party men keep on attacking opposition candidates and their supporters and issuing various threats to them due to the Commission’s inaction.

Besides, he said their leaders and activists were arrested in ‘false’ cases in different election areas, including Narail, Brahmanbaria and Kishoreganj, to ensure the victory of ruling party candidates.

Rizvi criticised the government for its failure to check the growing incidents of child killing. ‘The darkness of social anarchy has spread everywhere in the country, and brutal activities like child killing are taking place as an illegal and cruel regime is in power.’

Claiming that over 1100 children were killed in the last five years, he said it is not only a shameful matter for the nation but also a blot of stigma.