Mid-tier leaders of the ruling Awami League have had a wake-up call following the results of the four city corporation polls, just a few months ahead of the national election.
They said lessons should be drawn from the results to assess the party’s popularity, otherwise they fear the city corporation election results may be reflected in the next national polls. This would mean the BNP would have a louder voice in their demand for the restoration of a caretaker system.
The ruling party sources said the poll results were discussed in various forums of the party on Sunday and in most of these forums, the leaders expressed concern. However, they have decided to keep quiet for fear of the party’s top-tier.
“The city poll results are a danger sign for the government. If they do not take measures immediately… they would have to face the same consequences in the next national elections,” said a member of the AL’s secretariat.
The AL secretariat member who chose to remain anonymous said the ministers, MPs and leaders of the AL’s associate organisations were all to blame for the party’s current state.
AL presidium member Kazi Zafarullah said he was not surprised by the results. “Now the party will have to decide its future.”
Mid-level leaders identified the failures of the government in several issues, including not fulfilling the election manifesto, the stagnation of organisational activities, intra-party conflicts and the unawareness of MPs and ministers about root-level discontent.
They believe these issues to be the key cause of the party’s defeat in the city polls.
However, party high-ups claimed the government was successful in holding the city polls in a free and credible manner but downplayed implications of the results, saying city and national polls are not the same. A few of the top-tier leaders also expressed frustration and surprise over the poll results.
AL organising secretary, Khalid Mahamud Chowdhury, said the city polls were not a reflection of the national elections.
However, two ministers, including a presidium member of the AL, thought it ws a warning or them and they needed to straighten things before the parliamentary elections.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith said he was taken aback by the election results saying that the AwamiLeague (AL) government had done huge development works. “Such development had never been done in the past.”
“We need to be more careful and put in more efforts,” he cautioned.
Communication Minister ObaidulQuader, also the presidium member of the Awami League, said: “The mistakes of the ruling party and the discrepancy between expectation and attainment have been reflected in the results.”
“The results have created the scope for conceding the mistakes, learning lessons from them and correcting them,” he said.
Calling the results a warning for the next general election, Obaidul said it might be reflected in the next election, but the government has five months before then to set things right.
Following the landslide victory in the 2008 national elections, the AL continued its victory in different polls. However, the dice apparently turned mid-way into the tenure.
The first loss was when the AL candidate lost in the Chittagong City Corporation polls on June 17, 2010. The losses continued to municipal elections across the country, with the BNP securing majority of the wins. The AL has won only one of the eight city corporation polls that have been held after Sheikh Hasina’s government took office.
