The Awami League-led 14-party alliance is yet to reach a consensus over common candidates for the upcoming Dhaka South and North city corporations polls.
It is now pretty clear that the ruling alliance partners are going to join the polls separately as Awami League has already field its candidates without taking any consent from the component organisations of the alliance.
A number of leaders of the 14-party alliance said they were compelled to field candidates because of Awami League’s unwillingness to take part in the polls fray jointly.
Health Minister Mohammad Nasim yesterday said as the alliance component organisations had field their mayoral and councillor candidates individually the 14-party will not possibly endorse common candidates.
He, however, said the time was not yet over as the deadline for withdrawal of candidature ends today.
“We will discuss it with the alliance partners tomorrow [today] and seek their support for our party-backed candidates,” the minister added.
If the BNP participates in the election, the 14-party will finally back common candidates; if it is otherwise, the partners can make their own decisions, he said.
Nasim, also a presidium member of Awami League, on March 31 after a meeting of 14-party said the alliance partners were going to throw their weight behind the three mayoral aspirants for Dhaka and Chittagong that Sheikh Hasina selected.
However, when contacted in the evening on March 31, Sharif Nurul Ambia, general secretary of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), a component organisation of the ruling alliance, said no such decision had yet been made.
“I was in the meeting but not at the press conference. I have no idea why Nasim Bhai said that,” he said.
As JSD received no response, Ambia yesterday said, from Awami League it is backing actor Nader Chowdhury for the Dhaka North and Shahidul Islam for the Dhaka South.
Earlier, Hasina picked up businessman Annisul Huq as a mayoral candidate for Dhaka North, Sayeed Khokon for the Dhaka South and AJM Nasir Uddin for Chittagong City Corporation.
Film actress and former Awami League lawmaker Sara Begum Kabari also submitted nomination paper to contest in the race for the Dhaka North.
As of yesterday she did not withdraw her nomination but Awami League has already put pressure on another DSCC mayoral contender Haji Salim to quit the race.
Awami League has finalised the list of its councillor candidates for the upcoming city corporation polls in Dhaka.
Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina finalised the list after holding a meeting with presidents and secretaries of the party’s ward-level unit at her official residence Gonobhaban last evening, sources said.
However, things are less critical for the ruling alliance in Chittagong. Local leaders of the 14-party alliance reached a consensus that it would back AJM Nasir Uddin, Awami League’s choice for the polls there.
Chittagong-based JSD leader and lawmaker Moin Uddin Khan Badal informed reporters about the decision after a meeting.