BNP boycotted national polls fearing defeat: Bangladesh Home Minister

DHAKA: Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Sunday said that Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) boycotted the national polls fearing defeat.

Talking to reporters after casting his vote at Monipuripara English Medium School in Dhaka, Khan said: "BNP has taken a strategy of boycotting the election with various excuses. They participated in the 2018 election and got some parliamentary seats, but this year they did not participate in the election knowing they would be defeated."

"BNP is involved in killing of people and arson," Khan was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune.

Voting of 12 parliamentary election is underway in the country where sporadic incidents of violence have been reported.

Awami League leader Zillur Rahman was found dead near a polling centre in Munshiganj this morning, The Daily Star reported.

Earlier in the day, a clash broke out between opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) men and police in Chattogram city's Chandgaon area

Four people, including a child, were injured after unidentified people exploded two crude bombs near a polling centre in Hazaribagh near Dhaka.

Voting at Narsingdi-4 (Monohardi-Belabo) was cancelled over allegations of ballot stuffing.

The voting, which began at 8.00 a.m. local time at over 42,000 polling centres, will continue till 4.00 p.m.