Dhaka: National Citizen Party (NCP) Spokesperson and Chairman of its Election Steering Committee, Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan, today stated that voting in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election and referendum is progressing peacefully across the country despite attempts to create panic last night.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Asif Mahmud reported that although an atmosphere of fear was created the previous night, polling has been continuing in a peaceful manner since morning. He made these remarks to journalists after casting his vote at the Government Laboratory High School center in the capital.
He noted that voter turnout was relatively low in the morning, but emphasized that the election was being conducted in a very orderly environment. “Except for a few isolated incidents at several centers, voting is going on smoothly everywhere,” he added.
Asif Mahmud shared that he had been a voter in the last two national elections but could not cast his ballot. He expressed that this was his first voting experience, which was shared by nearly 40 million young voters like him. He hoped the festive spirit among voters would lead to the free and fair completion of the voting process.
Regarding the referendum, Asif Mahmud alleged that despite leaders of different political parties, including the BNP chairperson and other senior leaders, publicly campaigning in favor of a ‘Yes’ vote, some grassroots-level activists worked for a ‘No’ vote. He criticized this as political double standards and a sign of a lack of discipline within their party, but he believed such isolated efforts would not affect the prospects of the ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum.
Asif Mahmud also expressed dissatisfaction over the role of law enforcement agencies, claiming that polling agents of his party’s candidates were attacked in some areas. He urged the authorities to ensure that no citizen is deprived of their voting rights and that all voters can cast their ballots safely and return home without fear.