Though the upazila elections are non-partisan, both the ruling Awami League and the BNP top brass are touring the country to ensure victory of their candidates with a view to project their popularity at the grassroots level.
The AL finds two challenges in the upazila polls – winning the maximum seats and ensuring free and fair elections – to send the BNP a message that if it had participated in the January 5 election, the upazila election result would have been the same.
On the contrary, the BNP also faces two challenges – smooth campaigning and a fair election. The party believes that if free and fair polls are held, they will get the maximum seats.
It will, they say, intensify the ongoing movement for holding general election under a non-partisan government immediately by dissolving the incumbent parliament. They also got the chance of saying the ruling party had amended the constitution fearing huge debacle in the national poll.
However, both the parties have been facing problems of rebel candidates which made the path of election race harder and the subsequent expulsions of rebel candidates from parties. These are creating division within the parties, said leaders.
Apart from these, there are allegations that in some places the BNP-backed 19-party alliance contenders are facing obstacles during the election campaigns as many of the leaders and supporters are on the run.
However, the ruling party MPs and ministers have been working in different ways in favour of the party-backed aspirants.
Talking to the AL leaders it is learnt that the party is eyeing 300-350 chairmanships out of 487 Upazila Parishads where elections would be held in phases.
An organising secretary of the AL said they were moving seriously to achieve the goal.
“There is no doubt that the elections will be held in a free, fair and neutral mood,” party Presidium member Kazi Zafrullah told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
Although it is a local-body election, the party has taken it seriously. “According to the party chief’s instruction, we are trying our best, including choosing a single candidate, to make our candidate win.”
In the last upazila elections held on January 22, 2009, the AL-backed candidates secured chairman posts in more than 400 out of 479 upazilas when the then BNP-led four party alliance boycotted the polls.
AL Organising Secretary Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said in the prevailing political scenario, the BNP would be defeated at every stage where they contest as a party.
“Holding the elections in a free and fair mood is the challenge of the government. Our government will not interfere...even if our candidates win or not. The BNP is participating in the elections with a belief that free and fair election is possible under this government,” he said.
Senior leaders of the BNP’s central committee are campaigning across the country seeking votes for their candidates.
BNP Chairperson’s Adviser Osman Farruk is campaigning in Karimganj upazila of Kishoreganj, Vice-Chairman Abdullah Al Noman in Hathazari of Chittagong while Joint Secretary General Mohammad Shahjahan in Noakhali for their candidates.
On February 10, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia held a meeting with the party’s joint secretary generals at her Gulshan office and asked them to ensure single candidate in every upazila after talking to the rebel candidates.
“The district-level leaders are looking after the things. We have just solved the problems whenever they sought any support from the central committee. But in most of the upazilas, there are single candidates,” Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, joint secretary general of the party, told the Dhaka Tribune.
The BNP has repeatedly alleged that their aspirants were barred from campaigning smoothly, while their leaders and activists harassed by the law enforcers.
On Friday, some leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League, students’ wing of the ruling AL, attacked a microbus of Gouranadi upazila chairman candidate Abul Hossain Mia, a BNP-backed aspirant.
Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, a Standing Committee member of the party, said: “There is apprehension that those who could not vote in the January 5 election will vote in the upazila elections as the BNP has decided to participate in the elections. The government has become crazy.
“The ministers are campaigning for their candidates riding on car and saying that if their candidates do not win the polls, there will not be any development. On the other hand, the BNP-led alliance candidates are harassed as false cases were filed against them,” he alleged.
However, both the parties have been expelling the grassroots leaders and activists for violating the party order. For instance, Bogra AL yesterday expelled 17 of its leaders and activists including two rebel candidates. On the other hand, the BNP yesterday expelled three leaders for violating the party order.