In stark contrast with what arch rival BNP has been thinking about the “rebel candidates,” the Awami League has decided to accept things as they come, apparently realising that ensuring lone candidates at every upazila is not such an easy task after all.
At the eleventh hour before the first phase of the upazila polls yesterday, the prevailing air in the ranks of the ruling party was to accept whoever came out successful in today’s polls, instead of labelling someone as “rebel.”
In the 97 upazilas that are going into polls today, 38 AL candidates, who did not get party backing are contesting against their party colleagues, who got official support.
However, Organising Secretary Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune: “We do not have any rebel candidate. What we have are ‘strategic’ candidates. Those who are labelled rebel are basically part of our local strategy.”
“Those who believe in the spirit of the Liberation War and the Awami League’s politics, whether party-backed or not, will be welcomed if they come out victorious,” said Khalid, who is also the coordinator of the party committee formed to oversee the upazila polls in the Ranpur division.
Presidium Member Kazi Zafarullah said: “National and local politics do not always follow the same rules. There is no question of a party symbol in local elections. Many get elected out of sheer popularity. It is quite natural that someone, who believes in the politics of the Awami League, will stay with the Awami League.”
The party claimed that so far they had managed to make 10 of those so-called rebel leaders inactive, meaning that these leaders have pulled themselves out of electioneering anymore.
Mesbauddin Siraj, coordinator of the Sylhet committee, said: “We are trying our best to implement our leader’s [Sheikh Hasina] instructions. Although we have not managed to withdraw many rebel candidates, we have managed to make a number of them inactive at the eleventh hour.”
The ruling party is also apparently not very concerned about the “rebel” candidates in the districts such as Gopalganj, Shariatpur and Madaripur – known as Awami League strongholds. When asked about BNP’s allegations that the ruling party might interfere with the polls, Zafrullah said the BNP had been making such allegations out of sheer habit.
“If they get the expected number of seats, they will remain silent. Otherwise, they will raise a hue and cry,” he said referring back to the city corporation elections held last year.
