Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman has accused a group of trying to manipulate the upcoming election covertly due to their fear of defeat. He claimed that this group is resorting to violent tactics, amassing weapons, and planning to unlawfully take control of polling stations to steal votes from the public. These statements were made during an election rally in Dhaka where Shafiqur was the chief guest supporting Mamunul Haque, the candidate for the 11-party electoral alliance in the Dhaka-13 constituency.
Emphasizing that the spirit of resistance from the July protests is still alive, Shafiqur vowed to thwart any attempts to undermine the electoral process and urged supporters to guard polling centers to prevent fraud and manipulation. He criticized a specific group for their relentless pursuit of victory for a party or individual, expressing confidence that the people of Bangladesh would reject such selfish motives and instead choose candidates who uphold the values of the July movement.
Shafiqur criticized the decision to ban mobile phones near polling stations, questioning the rationale behind such restrictions and drawing parallels to past suppression of dissent. He also accused certain government officials of bias and interference in favor of specific candidates, warning that the voters, not officials, hold the power to decide election outcomes.
In a strong warning against any regression towards authoritarianism, Shafiqur highlighted the need to resist such tendencies as seen during the events of July 2024. He indicated that Mamunul Haque could potentially become a minister if successful in the election.