Ahead of the 12th parliamentary elections in January, prospective candidates of the major political parties—mainly the Awami League and BNP—are trying to demonstrate their organizational skills across the country by hanging banners and festoons, and carrying out communication campaigns during party events.
The BNP has become desperate to regain its seat, which comprises Madhupur and Dhanbari upazilas and has remained under Awami League occupation for 22 years. Voters say development promises will be important in the election, not party symbols.
Tangail is a traditional township, with a rich history of folklore, literature, and cultural tradition. The district is a strategic point connecting the capital with the northern districts. The region is well known for its huge Shal forests, and red and clay soil, homesteads of the small ethnic groups, pineapple gardens, and the zamindarbari of Dhanbari.
Among the eight constituencies of the district, the Tangail-1 seat is very important in politics. It consists of one municipality and 11 unions in Madhupur Upazila and one municipality and seven unions in Dhanbari.
District Election Office sources said that the number of voters—as per the draft list—is 433,653, among which 216,482 are female voters and one is a transgender person. The total number of possible election centres is 148, and the total number of polling booths is 966.
Ruling Awami League sources say Presidium Member and Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque is likely to get the party ticket this time too. He was elected four consecutive times from this constituency, but intra-party conflicts have arisen as some other leaders have entered the scene to get party nominations.
Past elections
In the past parliamentary elections, the AL won the seat seven times, the BNP three times, the Jatiya Samjtantrik Dal (JSD) once, and an independent candidate once.
In 1973, the AL formed the government under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after getting 293 seats in the country's first national parliamentary elections. But AL candidate Mahendra Lal Burman was defeated by JSD-nominated Abdus Sattar.
Then, in 1979, BNP candidate Syed Hasan Ali Chowdhury won the seat. BNP’s Syeda Ashiqua Akbar was elected in the 1981 by-election.
The AL won the seat for the first time in the 1986 election, and Nizamul Islam became an MP. Khandaker Anwarul Haque won the 1988 election as an independent candidate.
In the 1991 election, the AL’s Abul Hasan Chowdhury, son of former president Abu Saeed Chowdhury, came out on top. BNP leader Abdus Salam Talukder won the election in February 1996.
The AL did not have to look back after former state minister for foreign affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury won this seat in the June 1996 elections. In 2001, Dr Razzaque got the nomination, and the seat became known as the stronghold of the ruling party.
Dr Razzaque, now 71, retired as the chief scientific officer of the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) in 2001. He had participated in the Six-Point Movement as a student and the Liberation War as a company commander.
Emerging leaders
Local political analysts think that anything can happen in the next election because of the rivalry within the party in Madhupur Upazila. There is a conflict between the followers of the agriculture minister, who hails from Dhanbari, and Upazila Parishad Chairman Sarwar Alam Khan Abu.
Another leader who is planning to seek nominations is AL’s Central Committee Education and Human Resources Secretary Shamsun Nahar Chapa.
Meanwhile, the BNP has focused on strengthening the organizational structure in the last few years. Despite the untimely death of Upazila BNP general secretary Shahidul Islam Sarkar (Sarkar Shaheed), the local leaders have become active again in organizational activities. The party has already formed committees at all levels and strengthened organizational activities in the two upazilas.
Apart from its own strengths, the BNP is planning to secure the support of floating voters through anti-government campaigns.
President of Madhupur Press Club Habibur Rahman said that even though AL candidates had won the seat several times since 1996, this time rivalry within the AL, BNP, and Jatiya Party is at the same rate. Party nominations and personal image should be exploited this time. As a heavyweight candidate, Dr Razzaque is a favourite in this seat. The BNP is trying to recapture the seat, but it will not be easy.
Meanwhile, the names of several BNP leaders are being heard. They are former Ducsu member and former MP of Tangail-1 constituency, Khandkar Anwarul Haque, and Executive Committee members Fakir Mahbub Anam Swapan and Advocate Mohammad Ali.
Jatiya Party (JaPa) has two aspirants for this seat—Madhupur Upazila President Sergeant (Retd) Mohammad Ali and Abdul Hannan Ispahani. On the other hand, Islami Andolan Bangladesh Madhupur Upazila unit Vice President Maulana Zahirul Islam is likely to seek the party's nomination.
All these nomination seekers are seen doing mass communication in the constituency. They are participating in various meetings and social activities, and trying to contribute to the discussion by greeting the people of Madhupur and Dhanbari upazilas by displaying posters, banners, and festoons on various occasions.
They are also lobbying hard with central leaders to get party nominations.
According to multiple sources, Agriculture Minister Dr Razzaque has been confirmed for this seat. The BNP will select a suitable candidate, like Fakir Mahbub Anam Swapan, to fight with the AL candidate. The duo contested the parliamentary polls three times.
Several BNP leaders said that the party may have more than one nominee, but they are certain about Fakir Swapan getting the nomination. They say that if the election is free and fair, Fakir Swapan will win.
Dr Razzaque said he has made extensive developments in his constituencies of Dhanbari and Madhupur in the fields of education, health, communication, and infrastructure as per his election promises. The initiatives include the model upazila building in Dhanbari, a 50-bed hospital, a police station building, a new fire station, a veterinary hospital, electricity connections, road construction, and a modern silo in Madhupur.
On the other hand, nomination seeker Sarwar Abu said: "I have been involved in politics for a long time. As expected by the general public, I am a candidate for the parliamentary elections this time. I have always worked for the common people. But my various programs are being attacked through muscle power."
BNP Executive Committee Member Fakir Mahbub Anam Swapan said that they are conducting organizational activities despite being suppressed by the ruling party members. "I am working according to the instructions of the high command of the party. The BNP candidate will surely win in this seat if voting is free, fair, and peaceful."
