Dhaka is gripped by political turmoil just weeks before the February 12 general elections. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has ignited a major controversy by accusing authorities of tampering with postal ballots sent to expatriates. In a swift rebuttal, the Election Commission dismissed all claims of irregularities, insisting on the process’s integrity.
Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd.) Abul Fazal MD Sanaullah addressed the uproar on Thursday. He revealed that the commission had meticulously reviewed viral social media videos alleging misconduct in ballot distribution abroad. ‘We received clips from three locations and examined them thoroughly,’ Sanaullah stated. ‘No evidence of wrongdoing was found in any of them.’
The commissioner emphasized that the panel acted promptly after political parties raised alarms. ‘We contacted all relevant embassies today to verify facts on the ground,’ he added. Sanaullah vowed zero tolerance for any compromise on the postal voting system’s transparency.
The dispute erupted earlier this week when BNP highlighted suspicious videos of ballot handling. The opposition party had previously urged the commission to include candidate names alongside election symbols on postal ballots, submitting a formal proposal to that effect.
Adding to the pre-election chaos, cracks are emerging in opposition alliances. The Islamic Andolan Bangladesh (IAB), part of an 11-party bloc led by Jamaat-e-Islami, announced its exit on Friday. IAB declared it would no longer rely on others’ favors and plans to contest 268 of 300 seats independently.
This split follows a press conference where the alliance unveiled a seat-sharing deal for 253 constituencies. IAB had boycotted the event, signaling deep rifts. As Bangladesh hurtles toward polling day, these developments cast a long shadow over the democratic process, with accusations flying and coalitions fracturing.