The BNP has decided to stay away from the Upazila polls, having boycotted the recent general election.

The party maintains that elections can never be free and fair under the Awami League government, Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The Awami League said it will contest the polls to the Upazila councils and other local government bodies without its symbol in an effort to reduce infighting at the grassroots level.

Asked what the BNP will do, Rizvi said: “We’ve always said that no election under [Prime Minister] Sheikh Hasina will be peaceful, credible and fair.

“So, we already decided in the past that the BNP won’t contest polls under this government. We’re sticking to that decision.”

He said it was evident in the national election under the current administration that it does not believe in democracy, the people’s power and their will.

“This is why they held a farce in the name of election, following their masters’ plan and paying no heed to the demand for a free and fair election from domestic and international quarters.

“People have boycotted this election,” Rizvi claimed.