Ehsanul Haque Jasim :
The Awami League plans to field a single candidate in the upcoming elections to all three major city corporations. The BNP is also deciding its strategy about the city polls although the party has not made any formal announcement to back any candidate.
Sources of the Awami League said the AL wants to ensure its victory in the battle of ballots on April 28. The party high-command now thinks that the polls will become a challenge issue for them if BNP participates in polls.
On the other hand, BNP might back out from the city polls at the eleventh hour due to absent of ‘congenial atmosphere’ although the party is taking preparations for the polls.
The party has already termed the elections as nothing but stage-managed drama to distract people’s attention from its anti-government movement. “The Election Commission is going to hold the stage-managed elections like the January 5 polls as per a blueprint of the government,” the party Joint Secretary General Barkat Ullah Bulu said in a statement on Wednesday.
He alleged that the government has arranged the city corporation elections at a time when the BNP-led 20-party alliance’s anti-government movement is on the verge of the victory.
The elections to Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) will be held on April 28. The deadline for submission of nomination papers is March 29.
AL is seriously working to prevent its probable rebels from contesting the city polls. Prime Minister and AL president Sheikh Hasina has already asked her party leaders to work for the party nominated candidates.
Sources said, if the BNP joins the poll race, the AL might change its current strategy. The AL earlier decided that its partners in the 14-party alliance would contest the polls individually. But if the BNP joins the race, the ruling alliance will revise its decision. The matter will be discussed at the next meeting of the alliance to be held on March 29, insiders said.
Alongside some others, Haji Mohammad Selim MP, Kamal Ahmed Majumder MP and ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury were active for contesting the polls from the DSCC, DNCC and CCC respectively. Kamal Majumder and Mohiuddin Chowdhury softened their tones following the direction of Sheikh Hasina, but Haji Selim was rigid on his stance to contest the DSCC polls. He collected nomination papers on Tuesday.
A city AL leader, however, said that Haji Selim would step aside from mayoral race upon advice from the party high command.
In the DNCC, business tycoon Annisul Huq is the lone AL-backed mayor candidate. But in the DSCC, Sayeed Khokon faces troubles as some ministers and AL leaders are opposing his candidature. In Chittagong, AZM Nasir managed the blessing of the party and Mohiuddin Chowdhury too extended his support to him.
Meanwhile, some BNP leaders have already collected nomination papers, while some others are ready to collect the papers. Sources said, the BNP high-command is going to finalise its candidates in two city corporations in Dhaka, while it primarily finalised the mayoral candidate in Chittagong. The party, however, has shown the green light to possible candidates to collect nomination papers. The party will leave the poll race if the government and EC don’t accept their demands for creating atmosphere for city elections.
Former FBCCI president and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s adviser Abdul Awal Mintoo and BNP leader Abdus Salam collected nomination papers for the DNCC and DSCC on Wednesday. BNP’s detained leader Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu earlier collected the nomination papers for the DSCC.
