BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir spoke to reporters after a meeting with CEC A.M.M. Nasir Uddin at the Election Commission building in Agargaon this evening. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS)- BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today urged the Election Commission (EC) to work with complete impartiality.

“The BNP has always cooperated with the Election Commission to ensure a free, fair and impartial election. However, we are now observing certain issues where arrangements appear biased and conduct raises concerns. We have urged the Commission to refrain from such practices and to act with complete impartiality,” he said.

Fakhrul made the remarks to the media after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A.M.M. Nasir Uddin at the Election Commission building in Agargaon this evening.

Elaborating meeting’s agenda, Fakhrul said, “The postal ballot issue is still not fully resolved. Specifically, we believe that the way ballot papers have been printed for registered voters residing abroad is not correct. There seems to be an attempt to give special advantage to a particular political party here. We have demanded a change in these ballot papers.”

“We have also requested that those who will be on election duty within the country receive their postal ballots after the allocation of symbols. This is so that they can also have the opportunity to vote according to their judgment, just like any other voter,” he added.

On alleged violations of the electoral code of conduct and collection of personal information, Fakhrul said, “A political party’s activists are going door-to-door collecting copies of voters' NIDs, bKash numbers, and mobile numbers. This is a violation of personal privacy as well as a criminal offense. We have urged the Commission to take urgent action to this end.”

“A political party is resorting to unethical tactics by transferring voters from various parts of the country to Dhaka. We have requested the Commission to urgently provide us with a detailed list of which areas, how many voters, for what reason, and when they were transferred to Dhaka,” he added. 

The veteran BNP leader alleged, “We have received complaints that in various electoral areas, returning officers, assistant returning officers, police superintendents, and officers-in-charge of police stations, among other officials, are shamefully working in favor of a specific political party. For the sake of a fair, free, and acceptable election, we have requested their withdrawal subject to investigation.”

In response to a query, he said, 'We have always believed that if minor issues can be resolved, a fair election is possible under this Commission. There is an attempt to create a level playing field, but there are some minor flaws which we believe they can rectify.'

In response to another query regarding the Chhatro Dal movement before the EC, Fakhrul said, “An election at a university that was previously suspended has been permitted again by the Commission. It would be appropriate for the Election Commission to reconsider its decision on this matter. Otherwise, it will be questionable in future.”

Earlier, a 4-member delegation led by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir held a meeting with the CEC while BNP Standing Committee Member and Election Conducting Committee Chairman Nazrul Islam Khan, BNP Chairperson's Advisory Council member Ismail Jabullah, and former Acting Election Commission Secretary Dr. Mohammad Zakaria were present. 

Senior Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat Akhtar Ahmed was also present at the meeting.