Even though Jamaat-e-Islami claims that the BNP-led 19-party alliance gave support to its chairman candidates in 27 upazilas, it has been found that they got support only in three.
The alliance decided to contest the non-partisan upazila polls jointly, but they failed to field single candidate in the 27 upazilas where voting will take place tomorrow.
Jamaat, whose party registration was annulled last year, tried desperately to convince the BNP to support it in some more upazilas. However, the BNP grassroots expressed strong reservations and stood against the Jamaat contenders in many upazilas.
Though the Jamaat leaders said on record that this would not have any impact on the national politics, some leaders, seeking anonymity, said the relation between the two parties would be hampered since the BNP had not shown a "friendly" manner.
“The BNP suddenly withdrew the support to us, and extended it to their candidates. They did not keep their word. Our candidates will fight the polls,” Alamgir Hossain, nayeb-e-ameer of Bogra district Jamaat, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
The Jamaat-backed aspirants got the alliance’s support in Jaintapur of Sylhet, Atgharia of Pabna and Mithapukur of Rangpur.
Earlier, the alliance extended its support to the Jamaat candidates in Nandigram, Sherpur and Dhupchapia upazilas of Bogra. But, due to pressure from the grassroots, it later backtracked and extended support to BNP men to contest the chairman posts.
Fakhrul Islam, acting secretary of Jamaat’s Sylhet City unit, said they had tried their best to ensure single candidate in every upazila. "But the BNP was very reluctant to give us any seats.
“Even they did not want to give us the seats where Jamaat leaders are incumbent chairmen,” he sais.
Nurul Islam Bulbul, Jamaat’s Central Executive Committee member, said they had failed to ensure a single candidate, due to inter-alliance feud.
“I cannot say specifically anything about the candidates without first seeing the list. But it will not harm us in national politics,” he said.
