Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Khaleda Zia rejects 'rigged' poll


Ms Zia's alliance won just 31 seats in parliament, electoral officials say


Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, defeated in Monday's parliamentary elections, has rejected the results saying the vote was rigged.

"We have confirmed reports of rigging and other irregularities in many polling stations across the country," she told reporters in Dhaka.

Election officials said earlier that Ms Zia's rival Sheikh Hasina's Awami League had won a landslide victory.

The poll was mostly praised by media, monitors and the world community.

On Tuesday, at least one person was killed and more than a dozen were injured in clashes between rival political activists in the northern Pabna area, officials said.

The election follows two years of army-backed rule in the country.

Dramatic reversal

In her first reaction to Monday's voting, Ms Zia said she believed the results did not reflect the people's will.


Sheikh Hasina and her allies have pulled off a stunning victory


"So we reject the election outcome," she said.

"We are collecting details of more irregularities and will give them to the media and appropriate authorities over next few days," she said.

Ms Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party alliance has complained of fraud and forgery at more than 200 polling stations.

Observers say the next two days will be vital as to whether the result is accepted or sparks violence.

Election officials earlier said that the party of Sheikh Hasina, another former prime minister had secured more than 260 seats in parliament, while Ms Zia's BNP won 31.

The Election Commission has not yet declared a final official result.

There was a massive turnout for the election, which was overseen by hundreds of international monitors who largely pronounced the poll fair and credible.

The win for the Awami League is a dramatic reversal in fortunes for the two parties, says the BBC's Mark Dummett in Dhaka. In 2001, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party won the election overwhelmingly.

Fiery Tongues by Indian Politicos in 2008



A
s the whole country is ready to welcome New Year 2009, we should give a look on fiery tongues of our Politicos, who hogged limelight in the passing year of 2008. By giving irreverent remark after the Mumbai attacks several political leaders invited public angers.

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, AR Antulay, Vilasrao Deshmukh, RR Patil and Shivraj Patil were the prominent five leaders, who hit the headlines for their irresponsible remarks.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi triggered a fresh controversy fresh controversy by saying some women with “lipstick and powder on their face” were indulging in demonstrations and abusing politicians. Naqvi’s this controversial remark proved that he was suffering from verbal diaorrhea.

AR Antulay was the second in this row, when he raised the finger on death of ATS Chief Hemant Karakare in the Mumbai terror attacks, saying that it might be a conspiracy and should be probed. After this people and media described Antulay as attorney of lone surviving militant Ajmal Amir Kasab.

Shivraj Patil, who faced heat for changing sherwanis after Delhi blast, didn’t take any lesson from the past. But after Mumbai attacks, Mr. Patil didn’t get time to change his suits and appeared before the camera with excuses. Shirvaj Patil sacked for failure of intelligence and soft handeling of terror.

After Shivraj Patil, it was another Patil from Maharashtra on the board. RR Patil, who added some more feathers into the controversial remarks after the Mumbai attacks, by saying “Aisa nahee hain, bade shahron mein aise ek adh hadse hote rahte hain,isleye total intelligence failure hua aisa nahe hain”(Its not like that, in big cities one-two incidences can occour, but saying that total intelligence failure is not correct.)” At the end of the day result was the same, the NCP chief Sharad Pawar shown the door to Patil, who was serving as Dy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

Vilasrao Deshmukh, a two-time Chief Minister of Maharashtra, was also grounded for his love for Bollywood during Mumbai attacks. He visited the terror-hit Hotel Taj with his Actor son and Bollywood director Ram Gopal Verma. Deshmukh failed to understand the intensity of people’s anger aftermath of Mumbai terror attacks. Finally he was replaced by Ashok Chavan as new Maharashtra Chief Minister.