The BNP will most likely participate in the upcoming Dhaka and Chittagong city corporation elections, but it will also continue its ongoing campaign to topple the government.
The official announcement on joining the race is expected within a day or two.
Party insiders say the party has been planning to back heavyweight candidates for the mayoral races in the two city corporations in Dhaka and another in Chittagong.
BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s adviser Abdul Awal Mintoo is likely to run for mayor of Dhaka North. Party’s Standing Committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy or either of the two joint secretaries general – Barkatullah Bulu and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi – may run for the South.
The decisions to both continue its anti-government movement and participate in the city polls come in light of suggestions and counsel that Khaleda Zia has had over the past few days from well-wishers.
A pro-BNP delegation, which went to meet BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office last night, said she showed positive attitude about the city polls.
Emajuddin Ahmed, former vice-chancellor of Dhaka University, told journalists after the meeting that Khaleda’s attitude about the Dhaka and Chittagong city polls was positive.
“There are two chains of thoughts,” said BNP policymaker Mahbubur Rahman yesterday. Some people advocated participa-ting in the polls since the party has much popularity, “and the elections should not go unchallenged,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
Another group thinks that the party should boycott these polls since most of the BNP leaders are either in jail or on the run. Many activists of the party have also suffered the same fate. “So, they think it would be unwise to participate in the polls,” said Mahbub, the former army chief.
Bulu has gone underground acting as the BNP spokesman while Mintoo has been on the run. Both Goyeshwar and Rizvi are in jail.
The ruling Awami League, the main opposition in parliament Jatiya Party and the Communist Party of Bangladesh had already nominated their candidates for Dhaka mayor even before the Election Commission announced that the polls would be held on April 28. The last date for submitting nominations is March 29.
Currently, the BNP and its 20-party alliance have been waging a violent anti-government campaign since January 6 this year marked by blockades and general strikes and deadly petrol bomb attacks.
Having boycotted the last general election of January 5 last year, the BNP and its allies were thrown out of parliament. The Awami League swept the polls virtually uncontested.
The 20-party alliance’s campaign calls for the ruling party to step down and announce a fresh national election.
Seeking anonymity, a senior BNP leader said the general strike might be relaxed in Dhaka and Chittagong for the elections but the blockade will continue across the country. The national election and local government elections are different, the leader explained.
“Participating in the local government elections will be part of our movement,” he said.
The BNP leader quoted many leaders at the grassroots as saying victory of the BNP-backed candidates would add a new dimension to the party’s anti-government campaign.
“Blockade and hartal have lost their edge and a good result in the city polls will add fuel to the movement,” he said.
The BNP has convincingly swept the city polls in Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Gazipur in recent past. But its mayors are either in jail or almost incapacitated by the government.
Another senior BNP leader said the government was constantly changing its strategy, so the BNP should have one to outmanoeuvre the ruling party.
“The BNP should adopt a strategy so that city elections backfire on their [Awami League’s] face and if they decide to suspend the polls that would backfire on them too.
“If the BNP boycotts the polls, the government will put all-out effort to show a huge turnout and tell the international community that turnout in the national election was poor due to BNP’s violent movement,” he said.
A mid-ranking BNP leader said the party was considering Bulu for Dhaka South as a lot of Noakhali-based people lived there and Noakhali happens to be Bulu’s home constituency where he was elected an MP in 2008 elections.
On the other hand, the party is considering Goyeshwar for Dhaka South because he is more competent than the Awami League candidate and has a good idea about the constituency.
Apart from them, a third possible candidate for Dhaka South mayor could be Rizvi who has a clean image and enjoys people’s sympathy.
Election commentators said BNP’s decision to join the Dhaka and Chittagong city polls would bring a change in national politics as people have witnessed a violent protest in the past one and a half months.
Badiul Alam Majumdar, general secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (citizens for good governance), said: “If the BNP participates in the elections, then the elections would be competitive and bring about a festive mood among voters.
“If the government allows the opposition parties to continue their campaigns freely, that that will bring a relief to the tensed situation.”
Tofail Ahmed, former Chittagong University professor and an expert on local government, said BNP’s participation would be a positive gesture in the national politics.
“There are two implications. If the city polls turn out to be similar to the January 5 national and upazila elections, then the BNP’s movement will get a new momentum because people will get a fresh idea that fair election is not possible under the government. On the other hand, if the elections are fair, the BNP will have to change its strategy,” said Tofail.
Professor Emajuddin Ahmed also said after yesterday’s meeting with Khaleda: “If the BNP participates in the elections, the movement strategy would change too.”