The upazilas might be key administrative units of the country’s local government, but when it comes down to their elections, contenders hardly seem interested in local issues.
With the first phase of the polls in 98 upazilas due in just about a few days time, for the aspirants in the upazila parishads electioneering is in full swing in their respective localities.
The residents of many of these upazilas have said that instead of addressing the local issues, especially development and agriculture, the contenders, particularly those backed by or inclined to the BNP, are trying to woo voters with national issues like the war crimes trials, the January 5 parliamentary election, government’s oppression etc.
On the other hand, the Awami League-backed candidates are trying to convince people that they must be voted in so that they can continue with the development work without any hindrance. Moreover, the ruling party backed candidates are also talking about the difference between pro-liberation versus anti-liberation forces.
Voters say these issues do not have much direct impact on the economy and society of rural areas. With contenders spending all their energy on these national issues, voters fear that the upazila parishads will remain weak even if the best candidates are elected everywhere in free, fair and credible elections.
The upazila parishad elections, much like the city corporation polls, are non-partisan contests, meaning that political parties cannot directly take part in them by nominating candidates. But the support that the political parties extend to certain candidates always plays key roles in the outcomes of the polls.
With both Awami League and BNP taking the upazila polls very seriously, many voters say it was quite natural that the local issues have been eclipsed by the national issues.
After having boycotted last month’s national election, BNP is looking to rejuvenate its grassroots by getting good results in the upazila polls.
The ruling Awami League, on the other hand, is taking these local elections as an opportunity to prove that free polls are possible under non-caretaker arrangements, and do not want to let their arch-rival BNP get any political points by winning these polls.
Jahiruddin, a voter of Gournadi upazila, expressed discontent with the politicisation of local government bodies. He said: “It will only deprive the people of development in their areas.”
Danisur Rahman Limon of Bakerganj upazila said: “Preferring national issues over local issues will only weaken the local government.”
Khalilur Rahman, Bakerganj upazila unit secretary of BNP and a chairman candidate in the upcoming elections, said: “Although the local government elections are supposedly non-political and non-partisan, they are, in effect, not.
The Politicisation of local government elections has meant that national issues will be preferred over local issues, because [the political] parties [in Bangladesh] are national in nature, not local or regional.”
Shah Alam Khan, the incumbent chairman of Gournadi upazila and the Awami League-backed candidate, said: “The local governments still heavily depend on the national government, and are yet to be empowered and made fully autonomous. Therefore, local issues remain neglected and national issues preferred.”
“The Awami League government is now in power. So, if the Awami League-backed candidates win the elections, development will be bolstered. Voters will also have to decide whether they will vote for the pro-liberation force or the anti-liberation one,” Pankaj Kundu, the Awami League-backed candidate in Magura Sadar upazila, told the Dhaka Tribune.
However, Sazzad Hossain, the BNP-backed candidate from the same upazila, confidently said: “People have to vote for [us to] restore democracy in the country. People will say ‘no’ to the [Awami League] government by making the BNP-backed candidates victorious in the upazila elections.”
Abul Kasem, an Awami League contender from Sujanagar upazila in Pabna, said: “The planning minister and junior home minister of the previous cabinet were from Pabna. They carried out massive development in the district. We are trying to focus on those development activities to woo the voters.”
Zakir Hossain, the BNP contender from the same upazila, said: “People have witnessed the Awami League’s misrule and misdeeds over the last five years. They are eagerly waiting to cast their votes and give a bitter reply to the Awami League.”