Hasnat Abdullah, the NCP’s chief organizer for the southern region and a candidate representing an 11-party alliance in Cumilla-4 (Debidwar), has alleged that the Election Commission’s decision to ban mobile phones at polling centers is part of a conspiracy to steal votes. He made the remarks on Tuesday at an election rally held at Bhaisherkot Eidgah field in Debidwar upazila.

During his speech, Hasnat argued that prohibiting mobile phones on election day would prevent citizen journalists from exposing irregularities. He said that in July, only a few media outlets were allowed to report freely, while mobile journalists played a key role in delivering real news to the public. He demanded that the Election Commission withdraw the mobile ban to ensure transparency and free news coverage.

The rally was conducted by expatriate Masud Parvez Sohag and attended by local leaders from NCP and Jamaat, including Jahangir Alam, Saiful Islam Shahid, and Professor Shahidul Islam.