The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Chittagong

The debacle of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party(BNP)-led four-party combine in the 9th parliamentary poll held on December 29 was talk of the port city on Tuesday as people everywhere were discussing the matter and trying to identify the reasons of the fiasco.

The officials in government and private offices in the port city hardly worked yesterday rather they were busy in discussion the shambles, the four-party combine-led by BNP suffered in the 9th parliamentary polls on Monday.

Many of the officials were absent in the offices, because they were seriously shocked at the worst debacle of the combine since its emergence. Many of the absentees were beneficiaries during the time of the four-party regime from 2001-2006. They seem, were unable to accept the stunning victory of the Grand Alliance headed by Awami league(AL). They supporters were trying to find out rigging in the voting and some of them were also fearing autocracy in the Grand Alliance government in absence of a strong opposition in the house.

Before the polling day, it was general perception in the port city that the AL has done a mistake bringing Ershad's JP in the fold. If it was not happened the AL candidates could do much better.

Many in the city consider it was a proper reply to BNP, which became near to autocrat as they least bothered for the public opinion while were in power. Moreover, it had conspired to grab power through election under a caretaker government headed by President Prof. Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed, a man loyal to BNP.