The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has formally accused a rival political faction of orchestrating a systematic campaign to manipulate the upcoming national election results.

During a press briefing held on Saturday at the party`s election office in Gulshan, Mahdi Amin, spokesperson for the BNP Central Election Steering Committee, detailed allegations of "election engineering" ranging from forged voting seals to the deployment of dubious election observers.

Mahdi, who also serves as an adviser to BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, cited specific incidents to substantiate claims of a conspiracy.

He pointed to the recent recovery of six unauthorized voting seals in Laxmipur and the subsequent arrest of a printing press owner as critical evidence.

According to Mahdi, the detained individual confessed in court that the seals were manufactured under the directive of a leader from Jamaat-e-Islami. Preliminary investigations reportedly uncovered WhatsApp correspondence and material evidence linking a specific candidate to the order, prompting the BNP to demand immediate legal action against all conspirators.

Beyond the physical tampering of election materials, the BNP raised serious concerns regarding voter impersonation. Mahdi alleged that reports from various districts indicate a coordinated effort to manufacture a large volume of burqas and niqabs. The party fears these garments could be used to exploit religious sentiments and facilitate fake voting by concealing the identities of perpetrators.

To assume a proactive stance against this threat, the BNP urged the Election Commission to strictly enforce existing voter identification laws. Mahdi emphasized that voters must uncover their faces for identification purposes—similar to protocols for National ID or Hajj photography—and called for the deployment of adequate female polling officers and party agents to ensure transparency in women’s voting booths.

The briefing also highlighted concerns over potential violence and data theft. Mahdi claimed that the opposing faction had previously gone door-to-door collecting National ID details and mobile banking numbers, raising red flags about potential fraud.

Furthermore, he referred to a recent law enforcement raid in the Sutrapur area of Old Dhaka, where 152 cricket stumps were seized from the residence of a political leader. The BNP spokesperson suggested these items were being stockpiled for election-related violence and urged authorities to heighten their vigilance.

A significant portion of the complaint focused on structural irregularities within the election observation process. The BNP questioned the legitimacy of certain observer organizations, specifically the People’s Association for Social Advancement (PASA).

Mahdi noted that out of over 55,000 approved local observers nationwide, PASA was allocated the highest single quota of 10,559 observers. However, media reports and BNP’s own intelligence suggest the organization is functionally non-existent, allegedly operating out of a single room in a village house in Habiganj with only one staff member.

The BNP has formally notified the Election Commission regarding these anomalies, arguing that such irregularities threaten the integrity of the democratic process.

Mahdi concluded the briefing by appealing to both the Election Commission and the interim government to address these disparities immediately, ensuring a level playing field and a credible, neutral election for all parties involved.