BNP may boycott poura polls at the fag-end of polling: Ashraf

Awami League general secretary and Minister for Public Administration Syed Ashraful Islam on Monday said BNP might boycott the Pourasabha (municipal) polls at the fag-end of polling.

"We have every doubt whether BNP would stay in the polls or not. BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia has been heading to this end. She has been giving contradictory statements since the outset of the polls," he said while speaking at a press conference at the political office of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina at Dhanmondi in the city.

In reply to a question, Syed Ashraf said, "We are apprehending such a step from the BNP due to our bitter experience in the past. They have boycotted the polls in most of the time at the eleventh hour.

BNP boycotted the polls to Narayanganj City Corporation, Dhaka South and North City Corporations and Chittagong City Corporation at the ultimate hours." But, he said, "We hope this time that they would stay till the end of the vote counting in the pourasabha polls."

The AL leader assured that the pourasabha polls slated for December 30 would be held in a free, fair and unprecedented neutral manner.

AL joint general secretaries Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif and Dr Dipu Moni, agriculture affairs secretary Dr Abdur Razzak, organising secretaries Ahmed Hossain, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury and Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan and AL Central Working Committee member Enamul Haque Shamim were present, among others.