BNP Vice Chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu has said that the most pressing demand in Bangladesh at present is for a credible national election.Speaking at a symbolic youth rally in front of the National Press Club on Friday (September 19), organized by Bangladesh Citizens’ Rights Movement to protest what they called a conspiracy to derail the upcoming general election, Dudu noted that over the past 16–17 years, countless young lives have been lost in movements demanding democracy. He added that hundreds of thousands of BNP activists face politically motivated cases, while many leaders and supporters have been forced into exile for the cause of democracy.

Dudu alleged that the "fascist Awami League government" has deprived citizens of their right to vote and siphoned off the nation’s resources abroad. He further accused Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of conspiring in India to disrupt the next election, including plotting clandestine attacks.

Issuing a stern warning, the senior BNP leader declared, “If they again conspire to derail the election, the people will not accept it. Together, the nation will resist any such plot.”

He stressed that an announcement of an inclusive and credible election would help restore normalcy, allowing the people to exercise their right to vote. Through such an election, he claimed, the people would once again bring BNP to power.

Dudu also stated that in the days ahead, BNP founder late President Ziaur Rahman’s eldest son, Tarique Rahman, would assume leadership of Bangladesh, moving the country forward with the trust of its citizens. “Only by protecting independence and sovereignty, and by restoring democracy, can the future Bangladesh be built,” he added.

The former lawmaker reminded that both Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman have repeatedly urged the restoration of people’s voting rights, but the Awami League government ignored the demand—leading, he said, to its current “tragic downfall.”