BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has criticised the Election Commission’s decision to reject the nomination papers of several BNP leaders, comparing it to a ‘puppet show.’
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, he said that the rejection of the nomination papers made it clear that the EC will not be able to step beyond the directives of the government.
"The nomination papers of 50 popular heavyweight leaders and former MPs, including chairperson Khaleda Zia, were rejected without any cause,” alleged Rizvi, reports bdnews24.com.
“On the other hand, no Awami League nominated candidate has been rejected because they are considered to be saints by the Election Commission.”
Many who chose to contest the election independently by defying the directives of the ruling party were rejected during the scrutiny process. But there are no reports that Awami League nominees were rejected.
Of the 3,065 nominations submitted to the EC, 786 were rejected on Sunday by the returning officers. There are no candidates for the BNP or the alliance now in six seats due to the cancellation of the nomination papers.