The ruling Awami League has initiated belated campaigns to convince the maximum number of voters to cast their votes amid fear that voter turnout in the 147 constituencies may appear embarrassing for it.
It has now become a key test for the ruling party to ensure at least over 50% turnout that would help the government to consolidate its authority after the polls.
Around 48% of the total voters will exercise their franchise today as polls would not be held in 153 seats where the candidates came out elected uncontested.
The grassroots leaders are not interested in working in the BNP strongholds including Bogra and greater Noakhali districts where the AL leaders are either in hibernation or assembled in groups to protect them from the attacks of the BNP-Jamaat activists.
The AL leaders in other areas have been working hard to attract the voters through door-to-door campaigns just to get at least 50% turnout. They are said to be arranging transportation facilities for the voters and have pledged to protect them from attacks of the opposition men.
But the voters are hesitant to go to the polling centres.
The AL leaders in the 147 constituencies were not active until the party’s central leadership asked them to conduct campaigns mainly to increase the voter turnout.
Subrata Das Shimul, AL general secretary of Dakkhinbagh union of Barolekha, Moulvibazar, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had been campaigning in the villages and asking them to turn up at the polls centres. The union has around 19,000 voters.
Voting takes place in two out of the four seats in the district.
Dakkhinbagh falls within Moulvibazar 1 constituency where the AL has nominated Shahab Uddin as its candidate against the Jatiya Party’s (JaPa) Ahmed Riyaz Uddin.
“We will go to every house tomorrow [Sunday] for increasing the number of voters as the BNP-Jamaat has been intimidating the people. Besides, we will provide rickshaws for the voters to reach the polling centres,” said Subrata, whose shop was raged by the opposition activists recently.
He said: “I think we will be able to cast 60% votes against the party’s target of 50%.”
Faruk Ahmed Chowdhury, general secretary of Jamalpur district AL, admitted that the people were in severe panic in his area.
“We have been trying to allay the fear of the voters belonging to the pro-liberation forces. We have arranged transportation facilities for them too. Our target to see casting of up to 60% votes,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
He said the party had been mobilising the workforce as the BNP-Jamaat voters would not come to the polling centres.
“Bringing more people to the polling centres will be better for the party and the government. Therefore, we have initiated the move to encourage the voters,” Abdul Malek, general secretary of AL’s Naogaon district unit and candidate from Naogaon 5 seat, told the Dhaka Tribune.
He said the local leaders had been asked to go to every house and pursue them to cast their votes.
Elections would take place in three constituencies out of six in the district, a BNP-dominated area.
The situation is very difficult for the ruling party in Bogra and greater Noakhali, two strongholds of the opposition BNP and Jamaat.
The AL leaders have been very inactive there as the party has no candidate in the two of seven constituencies where voting is set to take place.
“Our leaders are not enthusiastic about the votes here as we have no party candidates [for Bogra 7 constituency]. The Jatiya Party candidate will get our votes.
Let us see how we can increase the voters’ presence,” Azam Khan, president of Gabtali (BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s village) unit of AL, told the Dhaka Tribune.
The situation in Kahalu and Nandigram (Bogra 4) constituency is
similar to Gabtali, say the AL’s grassroots leaders.
Nazrul Islam, president of the AL’s Joylashkarpur union under Daganbhuiyan upazila in Feni, said the upazila-level leaders had not passed to them any instruction to increase turnout.
“They [the upazila AL] have formed a bahini [team] which will work for taking voters to the polling centres. Please ask them, how they will do that. They have not arranged any vehicular facilities for the voters,” Nazrul told the Dhaka Tribune.
He said the AL and its front organisations had been working in favour of JaPa candidate Rintu Anwar in Feni 3 constituency.
Jyonti Rani Sardar, women affairs secretary of the AL’s Dakop upazila, Khulna, told the Dhaka Tribune that the Khulna 1 constituency (Dakop-Batiaghata) had not witnessed any violence as it was a Hindu-dominated area.
AL candidate Panchanan Bishwas is facing immediate past MP Noni Gopal Mondal (independent) and JaPa’s Shunil Shubho Roy.
“Hopefully, we will see 75% vote cast in our constituency. All the candidates are doing their campaigns peacefully,” said.
Out of the total 1,08,000 voters in Dakop, around 60,000 are Hindus.
Shahriar Alam, AL candidate for Rajshahi 6 seat, said he had ensured that the voters get rickshaw vans to reach the voting centres.
“Besides that, our workers will cook food tonight [Saturday] around the polling centres so that no attackers can harm the centres. Again, our ward-level workers have been campaigning door-to-door,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
Our correspondents report that the turnout in Faridpur 4 seat and three others in Gopalganj districts is likely to be higher following opposition chief Khaleda Zia’s remark about the name of Gopalganj.
