The Awami League will formally start its election campaigns from September 1, targeting the upcoming parliamentary polls. Before that, the city unit of the ruling party will hold a public rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on August 30.
The party will start a 10-day tour programme where senior leaders will lead teams from September 1.
The decision came from a meeting of the Awami League’s central working committee, the highest policymaking body of the party, held at Ganabhaban last night with party President Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Hasina warned the ministers and MPs that many of them would not get party tickets next time, as she had come to know from several surveys that their positions were not good.
“Next time, the party tickets will be distributed based on surveys, so all have to remain alert in this regard,” Hasina was quoted by a party leader, who asked not to be named. She also hinted that changes might be seen in party nominations for some 50-60 parliamentary constituencies.
Sources said presidium member Mohammad Nasim suggested that the party take initiatives to bring the “secular and democratic forces” like Dr Kamal Hossain’s Gono Forum, Kader Siddiqui’s Krishak Sramik Janata League back under the fold of Awami League-led grand alliance. The proposal was opposed by most of the AL leaders.
During the campaign tour, the party leaders will hold public rallies, and take initiatives to resolve intra-party conflict, remove differences between the leaders and activists, and evaluate the real condition of the party’s grassroots-level.
The party has already formed 16 committees for the tour programme. The party chief has asked to submit reports on every committee after concluding the 10-day programme.
She also asked the party’s organising secretaries to submit the reports of their respective divisions regularly.
The working committee unanimously decided to hold the next national polls under Hasina-led interim government. They said there was no scope to compromise on this stance.
Hasina also asked the party’s senior leaders to form committees for every polling centre comprising party leaders and renowned persons of those localities and urged to train the possible polling agents.
Party leader Nasim recommended that the price of urea fertiliser be reduced to facilitate the agriculture sector; a proposal opposed by the agriculture minister. The minister said the government had already cut the price several times and was giving subsidies.
Hasina said she would spend whatever was needed to reduce the price of urea fertiliser.
The meeting also dissolved the committees of Chittagong (north) unit, Comilla (city and north) units and decided to declare new committees. It also agreed to split the Mymensingh district unit into two parts.
The central working committee also elected former general secretary of now defunct Jatiya Chhatra League SM Kamal Hossain as its member, and elected Civil Aviation Minister Faruk Khan as the party’s foreign affairs secretary. Faruk Khan is currently the industries and commerce secretary of the Awami League.
Hasina also asked the party leaders to highlight the government’s achievements among the people and hoped that her party would again form the government after winning the next elections.
The meeting also decided to spread the billboard campaigns across the country to highlight the government’s achievements and the “misdeeds” of the 2001-06 BNP-Jamaat government.
General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam requested the party members to give similar statements on different issues, considering the party chief’s remarks, while talking to the media to evade confusion about the party’s stance.