Dhaka, May 22 -- A widening rift between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP) came into sharp focus on Wednesday, as both parties staged rival protests over the Election Commission's (EC) handling of BNP leader Ishraq Hossain's disputed mayoral claim.
BNP supporters took to the streets of Dhaka, demanding Ishraq's immediate swearing-in as mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC). Simultaneously, the NCP held a protest outside the EC headquarters, accusing the commission of operating as a de facto extension of the BNP and calling for its urgent restructuring.
These developments follow several days of heightened political tension surrounding Ishraq's claim to the mayoral post-nearly fi...