Staff Correspondent:

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Tuesday alleged that efforts are still being made to delay Bangladesh’s upcoming general election, accusing certain groups of trying to make the vote controversial.

“The nation is waiting for a free and fair election. But many conspiracies are still going on to delay the election,” Rizvi told reporters after paying tribute to Arafat Rahman, the late son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, on his 56th birth anniversary.

He urged the government to speak out against what he called “extortionist occupiers” seeking to obstruct the democratic process.

Rizvi also accused Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration of political cruelty, claiming that Arafat Rahman’s death was a result of political persecution. “If there had been normal politics in the country, his untimely death would not have happened,” he said.

Arafat Rahman, who died in exile in Malaysia in 2015, was the youngest son of former President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

Rizvi’s remarks reflect the BNP’s ongoing concerns about election transparency and fairness under the current government, as political tensions continue to escalate ahead of national polls expected in early 2026.