Many local leaders of the two major parties are not identifying with the political equation that has changed after the January 5 national election, by reportedly disobeying party orders for ensuring lone candidates at every upazila.
Both the Awami League and BNP, who have their very own challenges to face, are desperate to consolidate organisationally by doing well in the upazila polls, on which heavily depends the near future of the country’s politics.
The parties have identified that in order to make sure that their arch rivals do not get an upper-hand in the election, they must ensure that the grassroots leaders do not run against each other and their votes are not divided.
But the field reality has been different in many places.
No political party can directly nominate candidates for the upazila parishad elections. But they can give support to certain candidates which eventually shape the election outcomes.
“BNP gave me backing and I will be in the race. Others will withdraw their candidature on February 3 [the last day for withdrawing nomination papers],” said Sahidul Islam Farhad, BNP-backed candidate in Ramgar Upazila of Khagrachari.
However, Belayet Hossain Bhuyan, another BNP leader from the upazila, said: “I filed nomination papers to contest the polls. In local elections, there is no option for partisan nomination. So, I will not withdraw my candidature.”
In Sathia upazila of Pabna, the Awami League has backed Abul Kasem in the upcoming polls, instead of the current upazila chairman, Nizamuddin Ahmed.
“It is not a partisan election. So I am not bound to obey party orders here. People have elected me in the past and will elect me again. I will be with the people and people will also be with me,” Nizamuddin told the Dhaka Tribune.
The BNP, by boycotting the parliamentary election, has virtually given a walkover to the Awami League, which has already formed the 10th parliament by winning an election allegedly marked by vote rigging and manipulation. The ruling party is now focusing on giving an impression that it does not believe in “election manipulation.”
On January 28, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina told her party’s lawmakers that the upcoming upazila election would be a tough fight as the BNP-Jamaat-backed candidates were set to vie the polls.
The BNP, on the other hand, is taking the upazila poll as a chance to turn around, especially after the crash landing of the pro-caretaker movement and failing to resist the January 5 election which threw the party out of the House for the first time in more than two decades.
The upcoming upazila elections are significant for the BNP, especially considering the fact that it boycotted the last upazila elections in 2009.
“These [upazila] elections are posing two challenges for the Awami League. If it fails to do well, then its legitimacy would be seriously questioned. The party will also have to take a blow even if it tries to win by manipulating,” said Pyas Karim, a Brac University teacher and who has interest in following political developments.
“On the other hand, there is no short-term option for BNP other than winning. The BNP’s politics would be plunged into grave troubles if it does not do well [in the upazila polls],” said Pyas.
A number of Awami League and BNP leaders have told the Dhaka Tribune that whether the two parties have managed to select lone candidates for every upazila will be clear before tomorrow – the last date for withdrawing nominations.
As of yesterday, no candidate has made any announcement about quitting polls in accordance with party decisions.
The Dhaka Tribune has talked to the local leaders in at least 15 districts. In most of those districts, neither the Awami League nor the BNP has yet managed to finalise lone candidates.
In order to finalise lone candidate at every seat, both the parties have started forming committees. In many upazilas, these committees have started working to convince the local leaders.
In four the upazilas of Sirajganj, nine from the Awami League, 10 from the BNP, three from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and one from the other parties are contesting the polls.
Recently, Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, also a presidium member of the Awami League, held a meeting with the Pabna district leaders to finalise one candidate in every seat and warned of tough actions if anyone violated party orders.
However, Abul Kalam Azad, a contender for the Kazipur upazila chairman’s post, alleged that three of his campaigners had been harassed by law enforcers because they had campaigned for him instead of Mozammel Haque Bakul, another Awami League leader and the current chairman.
“They were detained on charges of misguiding the voters. However, after scrutiny, they were freed,” Abdul Jalil, acting OC of the Kazipur police station, told the Dhaka Tribune.
In the Sylhet division, the Awami League has formed a six-member committee headed by Presidium Member Obaidul Quader, also the communication minister. The BNP on the other hand has formed a three-member committee, headed by Vice-Chairman Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury.
The first phase of the upazila parishad elections in 12 the seats in the Sylhet division will be held on February 19.
Mesbahuddin Siraj, organising secretary of the Awami League, said the incumbent chairmen would get priority and the final list of lone candidates for each upazila would be reached through compromise between the aspirants.
“The final list will be made public on February 3 in the presence of the central election coordination team,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
Dildar Hossain, senior vice-president of Sylhet district unit BNP, said they had been trying to pick single candidate for every upazila and had already talked with the aspirants and the local leaders in this regard.
“The final list will be made public soon and if anyone violates party orders, tough actions will be taken against them,” he said.