Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatradal, the student wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), staged a sit-in demonstration in front of Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon on Sunday.
The protesters condemned what they described as the Election Commission’s (EC) "biased and controversial" role leading up to the national election scheduled for February 12.
Beginning the sit-in at 10:00 am, Chatradal leaders raised three primary allegations against the Commission, focusing on the management of postal ballots and the Shahjalal University Central Student Union (SUCSU) elections.
They accused the EC of making questionable decisions regarding postal ballots that have undermined the perceived impartiality of the electoral process.
The student leaders further alleged that the Commission is acting under pressure from a specific political group, leading to "unwise and short-sighted" decisions that compromise its professionalism and independence.
A major point of contention was a recent EC notification concerning the SUCSU election, which Chatradal claims was issued under direct external influence, posing a threat to democratic practices within the university.
During the demonstration, Chatradal President Rakibul Islam Rakib addressed the crowd, stating that certain political activities involving ballot papers were being carried out with the "direct incitement and support" of the Commission.
As the protests continued outside, the Election Commission was busy inside conducting the final day of appeal hearings.
Chaired by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, the Commission worked to resolve 35 scheduled petitions along with a significant number of pending appeals from BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami candidates.
Sunday marks the deadline for the EC to dispose of all appeals regarding the acceptance or cancellation of nomination papers, bringing the scrutiny phase of the upcoming polls to a close.
