Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Dr. Shahadat Hossain has alleged that several advisers of the interim government engaged in election engineering to defeat the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Speaking to journalists on Sunday afternoon at the inauguration of a playground and walkway in Halishahar, he said that despite such efforts, the people had countered the engineering and expressed their support for Tarique Rahman as the future prime minister of Bangladesh.

Dr. Hossain rejected claims that the BNP manipulated the national election, asserting that as a part of the government, he could confirm that no such engineering was done by the party. He reiterated that the attempts by interim government advisers to influence the outcome had failed. Addressing the upcoming Chattogram City Corporation election, he said he wanted a credible and fair vote to test his popularity among residents.

The mayor added that although his term legally extends until 2029, he prefers to hold elections sooner in the spirit of democracy and has already requested an early poll.