Staff Reporter :
The ruling Awami League [AL] has taken initiatives to filed single councillor candidate in each ward for the upcoming city corporation polls in Dhaka and Chittagong scheduled on April 28.
In this process, constituency-based 15 committees — comprising AL central leaders, city leaders and local lawmakers — have prepared the draft lists to choose the party candidates.
Some of the designated committees have already handed over their draft lists to the Prime Minister and AL President Sheikh Hasina while other committees will submit their lists very soon. The Premier will finalise the party-backed aspirants and announce their names after verifying the lists, sources said.
Of the 15 committees, seven committees worked for Dhaka North City Corporation [DNCC] and eight committees worked for Dhaka South City Corporation [DSCC].
The designated committees in most cases had locked in altercations with the local lawmakers during choosing the single candidate. They faced obstacles when some influential leaders created pressure to step aside other candidates from election, party sources said.
In this backdrop,
the committees have mentioned the ‘issue’ while submitting their reports to the PM. In some cases, the committees have suggested for two candidates in one ward and urged the PM to take decision in this regard.
“We have submitted our lists to the PM. We have also mentioned in our report about the dispute that aroused in some wards during selection process,” said Agriculture Minister Motia Chowdhury, also convenor of Dhaka 14, 15 and 16 constituencies, on Sunday.
The sources said, AL has set five criteria to nominate party candidates for ward councillor aspirants. These are: popularity, development initiatives, educational status and age, decent character and contribution to the party.
In a major discomfort to the ruling high ups, several rival candidates of AL and its front organizations have filed their nominations to contest the polls as councillors in Dhaka and Chittagong.
In some wards, the number of aspirants now stands at six to seven. None is giving any space to other. And interestingly, most of the councillor aspirants are lobbying to the senior party leaders, including ministers, to win their support.
There is a party guideline that no president and general secretary of local committee would get party’s formal support in councillor election.
Sheikh Hasina is personally monitoring the party’s polls-related activities. She has already warned of consequences if any of them contested the polls for councillor posts defying the party decisions.
“AL will choose from the eligible candidates announced by EC after scrutiny. The process of assessment had started after forming the committees,” City AL Acting President MA Aziz said.
He said except the party nominated candidates others will be asked to withdraw their candidatures after the PM finalises the list.
“AL will finalise its candidates within the April 9 timeframe, the last date of nomination withdrawal. None will be asked to withdraw nomination before April 9 due to strategic reason. AL will extend its formal support to councillor candidates after that procedure,” the AL leader said.
Though the partners in the AL-led alliance decided not to contest the mayoral elections, their candidates are preparing to contest for councillor posts in at least 40 wards of the three city corporations.
Party insiders said each of the alliance partners have prepared a list of the potential candidates for the councillor posts and asked them to draw nomination forms.
They also placed the list of their respective council candidates to the AL. But the final decision in this regard is yet to be taken.
The ruling party has already extended its support to Sayeed Khokon, Annisul Huq and AJM Nasir Uddin to contest for the mayor posts of Dhaka South, Dhaka North and Chittagong city corporations respectively.
The ruling Awami League [AL] has taken initiatives to filed single councillor candidate in each ward for the upcoming city corporation polls in Dhaka and Chittagong scheduled on April 28.
In this process, constituency-based 15 committees — comprising AL central leaders, city leaders and local lawmakers — have prepared the draft lists to choose the party candidates.
Some of the designated committees have already handed over their draft lists to the Prime Minister and AL President Sheikh Hasina while other committees will submit their lists very soon. The Premier will finalise the party-backed aspirants and announce their names after verifying the lists, sources said.
Of the 15 committees, seven committees worked for Dhaka North City Corporation [DNCC] and eight committees worked for Dhaka South City Corporation [DSCC].
The designated committees in most cases had locked in altercations with the local lawmakers during choosing the single candidate. They faced obstacles when some influential leaders created pressure to step aside other candidates from election, party sources said.
In this backdrop,
the committees have mentioned the ‘issue’ while submitting their reports to the PM. In some cases, the committees have suggested for two candidates in one ward and urged the PM to take decision in this regard.
“We have submitted our lists to the PM. We have also mentioned in our report about the dispute that aroused in some wards during selection process,” said Agriculture Minister Motia Chowdhury, also convenor of Dhaka 14, 15 and 16 constituencies, on Sunday.
The sources said, AL has set five criteria to nominate party candidates for ward councillor aspirants. These are: popularity, development initiatives, educational status and age, decent character and contribution to the party.
In a major discomfort to the ruling high ups, several rival candidates of AL and its front organizations have filed their nominations to contest the polls as councillors in Dhaka and Chittagong.
In some wards, the number of aspirants now stands at six to seven. None is giving any space to other. And interestingly, most of the councillor aspirants are lobbying to the senior party leaders, including ministers, to win their support.
There is a party guideline that no president and general secretary of local committee would get party’s formal support in councillor election.
Sheikh Hasina is personally monitoring the party’s polls-related activities. She has already warned of consequences if any of them contested the polls for councillor posts defying the party decisions.
“AL will choose from the eligible candidates announced by EC after scrutiny. The process of assessment had started after forming the committees,” City AL Acting President MA Aziz said.
He said except the party nominated candidates others will be asked to withdraw their candidatures after the PM finalises the list.
“AL will finalise its candidates within the April 9 timeframe, the last date of nomination withdrawal. None will be asked to withdraw nomination before April 9 due to strategic reason. AL will extend its formal support to councillor candidates after that procedure,” the AL leader said.
Though the partners in the AL-led alliance decided not to contest the mayoral elections, their candidates are preparing to contest for councillor posts in at least 40 wards of the three city corporations.
Party insiders said each of the alliance partners have prepared a list of the potential candidates for the councillor posts and asked them to draw nomination forms.
They also placed the list of their respective council candidates to the AL. But the final decision in this regard is yet to be taken.
The ruling party has already extended its support to Sayeed Khokon, Annisul Huq and AJM Nasir Uddin to contest for the mayor posts of Dhaka South, Dhaka North and Chittagong city corporations respectively.
