No room for rebels in Awami League

The Bangladesh Awami League has finally started taking action against its rebel candidates who had disobeyed party decisions in various local government elections in the past. 

The move was put in action when Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina changed the nominations of three municipality mayoral candidates on Monday. 

According to party sources, the ruling party will no longer nominate candidates who have or will go against party directives, regardless of their popularity.

The Awami League has taken this decision to establish discipline in the party, they added.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Awami League's Local Government Nomination Board on Saturday, chaired by the board President Sheikh Hasina. 

Speaking to Dhaka Tribune, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said: “We have decided that there is no room for rebels in our party, as previously these people took part in elections against our nominated candidates,”

“Today our party has changed the nominations of three municipality mayoral candidates as they had contested against Awami League nominated candidates before,” he added.

3 mayoral candidates’ party nominations cancelled

On Saturday, the party had picked Al Masum Murshed for Khoksha municipality, Reazul Islam Joardar for Chuadanga municipality and M Abdul Hannan Talukder for Madan municipality as mayoral candidates. 

But following the move against party rebels, the Awami League mayoral candidates for these three municipalities were changed and Mohammad Tariqul Islam, Saiful Islam and Jahangir Alam Khokon were awarded party nominations for the office of mayor in the aforementioned municipalities respectively.

Awami League Deputy Office Secretary Sayem Khan confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune on Monday. 

The first phase of the municipal elections will be held on December 28. 

BNP candidates are also participating in this poll.