No local body polls before national election: Partho

Andaleeve Rahman Partho, chairman of Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) has categorically told the National Consensus Commission that he would not accept holding of the local body election before the national one.

“Bloodstained clashes take place during the local body elections. The ground reality is different. So I expressed my opinion during the meeting that I want the parliamentary election first,” he said while talking to reporters after emerging from the meeting on Saturday.

Earlier, Partho took part in the first meeting of the National Consensus Commission held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka this afternoon.

While addressing the meeting, Partho said there are 4,500 union parishads in Bangladesh and there may be various challenges in holding the election in a free and fair manner.

“I urge the commission to be careful so that no acts of terrorism or unrest can prolong the national election,” he said.

Many political parties during the meeting also expressed their opinions in favour of holding the local body election before the national one, he said.