BNP’s Kaiyum accuses Nahid of vote rigging in Dhaka-11

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate for Dhaka-11 MA Kaiyum has accused National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam, the elected winner from the constituency, of orchestrating large-scale vote rigging in the recently concluded 13th Parliamentary Election.

Speaking to reporters at his election office on Friday afternoon, Kaiyum expressed shock over the scale of the results.

“How can a candidate who failed to appoint polling agents secure such an overwhelming number of votes?” he asked, alleging that the outcome had been “engineered” to favour Nahid Islam.

The BNP leader, who also serves as the party’s secretary for Microcredit Affairs, claimed that postal ballots were manipulated and that widespread irregularities had compromised the integrity of the election.

He further alleged that voters were misled under the banner of “July fighters,” while supporters of the BNP faced harassment and attacks during the campaign period.

Kaiyum confirmed that he had submitted an official application to the Election Commission requesting a recount of votes in Dhaka-11.

He warned that legal action would follow if the matter was not satisfactorily addressed.

Despite losing the seat, Kaiyum maintained confidence in the BNP’s overall electoral success and reiterated his commitment to the party’s broader agenda.

He pledged to continue working for his constituency, promising to tackle issues such as drug abuse, terrorism and local development.

“While the results in my constituency are disappointing, our vision for a better Bangladesh remains unchanged,” he said, emphasising that the party’s mission to establish good governance and democratic accountability would continue unabated.