With apparent support from grassroots activists of the Jatiya Party, candidates backed by BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami did well in the two phases of the upazila elections in areas where the main opposition party has strongholds, sources claimed.
JaPa sources said there was no formal instruction from the central committee for supporting the party’s nominees or others which was reflected in the victory of rival candidates from the BNP-Jamaat alliance in the first two phases of the upazila parishad polls on February 17 and 27.
On February 9, the last day for submission of nomination papers for the first phase, Jatiya Party announced a list of 12 candidates for the posts of chairman, vice chairman and female vice chairman. Out of them, only three were elected from the party, including two as chairmen.
Since JaPa is no longer a part of the ruling Awami League-led grand alliance, party activists reportedly supported pro-BNP/Jamaat candidates in several places, including Pirganj upazila in Rangpur, a constituency where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina contested and won in the 10th parliamentary polls.
However, in the upazila polls, BNP candidate Nur Mohammad Mandal elected chairman, while Jamaat candidate Golam Rabbani was elected from Mithapukur of the district.
Nur Alam Jadu, secretary of Pirganj upazila JaPa, said: “In the Pirganj upazila polls, BNP candidates won due to for our (JaPa) votes. We did not support the Awami League-backed candidate, we supported BNP’s candidate.”
A JaPa leader in Mithapukur upazila said the Jamaat candidate won there due to support and votes from both BNP and Jatiya Party.
“Party activists were free to support any candidate since we are not with the grand alliance and had no instruction from the central committee on who to support,” said the local leader, who is also a member of the Rangpur district committee.
JaPa Secretary General ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader said, “Upazila poll is not a party based election, so we did not support any of the candidates. It does not have any importance in the national polls.”
