We will accept the results if the election is free and fair: Tarique Rahman

ছবিঃ সংগৃহীত

News Desk: BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman said that he visited several polling centers in different parts of Dhaka city. “They tried last night, and surely they will continue their attempts today as well. However, people are able to cast their votes in a peaceful environment. For more than a decade, people were deprived of this right. Now there is enthusiasm and excitement among voters,” he told journalists today (Thursday, February 12) after visiting various polling centers from the BNP chairman’s office in Gulshan.

Tarique Rahman said, “I call upon everyone—let us all work together to ensure that voters can exercise their rights peacefully and properly. Together, we can take the initiative to build the Bangladesh we aspire to.”

When asked how optimistic the BNP is about victory, he said, “We are confident, Alhamdulillah, and hopeful about winning.”

When asked how many seats they expect to win, he said, “We expect to win enough seats to be able to run the country smoothly.”

When asked whether there is a possibility of forming a national government if BNP wins the election, he said, “We want to govern the country together with those with whom we have carried out movements and struggles.”

When asked about reports from across the country, Tarique Rahman said, “I have been visiting various centers and have not yet received detailed nationwide updates. I just arrived at the office. Five hours have passed, but I was visiting different centers. Therefore, I could not get detailed information. I was checking the news from various media on my phone. I saw that unexpected incidents are occurring in different places. A certain political party is repeatedly causing such incidents. We do not want such events to happen.”

He added, “We believe that the people are the true owners of the country. If they come out and exercise their rights, the higher the voter turnout, the more all conspiracies by any party can be thwarted.”

Tarique Rahman said, “Those who are causing undesirable incidents will increasingly face public disapproval. These incidents are not good. They are trying to do unethical things in various ways.”

When asked whether there is a risk of delay in vote counting, he said, “I do not see any reason for delay in vote counting. Why would there be a delay? People across the country who voted will want results quickly. The Election Commission will try to deliver the results to the people as soon as possible.”

The BNP chairman added, “We have seen neutral elections in 1991, 1996 and 2001. There is usually a standard time for announcing results. We expect that this time too, people will know the results as quickly as possible.”

He further said, “If the election is free, fair, and controversy-free, why wouldn’t we accept it? We will accept it like any other party. But there is one condition— the election must be neutral and peaceful.”

In response to another question, he said, “We are witnessing unwanted incidents, and attempts are being made to mislead people. Such things cannot be accepted, and no one will accept them.”

Regarding the overall voting environment, Tarique Rahman said, “From what I have seen in Dhaka, people are voting in a highly festive atmosphere.”