Noman Mosharef :
Buoyed by victory in Khuln City Corporation election, Awami League (AL) is at work to repeat the KCC election model to win the Gazipur city election scheduled for June 26. Election monitors said winning such lection ahead of national election has special bearing for the ruling party.
BNP unders on the other hand believe it has no better alternative to face AL mayoral candidate in Gazipur as the ruling party has the backing of police and local administration behind unruly
party cadres who won Khulna election by rigging, intimidation and capturing polling booths.
Meanwhile the decision of the Election Commission (EC) to allow ruling party MPs to take part in election campaign for Awami League mayoral candidate advocate Jahangir Alam is seen as a major factor against BNP candidate Hasan Uddin Sarkar in the field. City Corporations elections for Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barisal are also likely to be held in July; although the schedules of those election yet to be announced.
It is important for the ruling party to win all such elections before the parliament election to show its popularity to the nation. The permission of ruling party MPs to take part in the campaign in all those city elections appears to be a highly calculated move. Facing a strong Awami League team in election campaign on the other hand will be visibly difficult for BNP leaders to counter because most of them risk arrest as they have many police cases against them on political consideration. BNP workers are also at big risk to join electioneering campaign. Many were arrested before recent postponement of the polls. KCC election has set the example of a ‘Khulna model’ for city polls in which Awami League controls the polling centers and staffed ballots largely keeping BNP men out of the scene. The victory of ruling party candidate Talukder Abdul Khalek in the city polls has come as a big boost and many believe Awami League will necessarily use its Khulna model to win Gazipur city polls.
BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy told The New Nation yesterday, “Awami League has the police and the administration on its side. So what can be expected in Gazipur?” “People can see what is going on in the name of elections. Winning city elections in such a way does not prove AL’s popularity,” he said. AL is determined not to give opportunity to BNP candidates at this time to win elections. AL aspirant of Gazipur city polls, Jahangir Alam said, victory in KCC polls has been a boost for the party. Gazipur has long been a stronghold of Awami League, he said.
Meanwhile AL has taken all measures for party unity to win Gazipur election. Eight groups headed by central leaders are working to resolve differences among local leaders.
Influential party leaders including ministers and MPs have also decided to take part in the campaign to start official campaign on 18 June. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has already cautioned party leaders saying “I don’t want any trouble in Gazipur. Everyone should remember that the ‘boat’ is our party symbol.” Internal clashes in AL had increased before the postponement of the Gazipur election. Party candidate Jahangir Alam was campaigning on his own. The other leaders of the party were not behind Jahangir.
Buoyed by victory in Khuln City Corporation election, Awami League (AL) is at work to repeat the KCC election model to win the Gazipur city election scheduled for June 26. Election monitors said winning such lection ahead of national election has special bearing for the ruling party.
BNP unders on the other hand believe it has no better alternative to face AL mayoral candidate in Gazipur as the ruling party has the backing of police and local administration behind unruly
party cadres who won Khulna election by rigging, intimidation and capturing polling booths.
Meanwhile the decision of the Election Commission (EC) to allow ruling party MPs to take part in election campaign for Awami League mayoral candidate advocate Jahangir Alam is seen as a major factor against BNP candidate Hasan Uddin Sarkar in the field. City Corporations elections for Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barisal are also likely to be held in July; although the schedules of those election yet to be announced.
It is important for the ruling party to win all such elections before the parliament election to show its popularity to the nation. The permission of ruling party MPs to take part in the campaign in all those city elections appears to be a highly calculated move. Facing a strong Awami League team in election campaign on the other hand will be visibly difficult for BNP leaders to counter because most of them risk arrest as they have many police cases against them on political consideration. BNP workers are also at big risk to join electioneering campaign. Many were arrested before recent postponement of the polls. KCC election has set the example of a ‘Khulna model’ for city polls in which Awami League controls the polling centers and staffed ballots largely keeping BNP men out of the scene. The victory of ruling party candidate Talukder Abdul Khalek in the city polls has come as a big boost and many believe Awami League will necessarily use its Khulna model to win Gazipur city polls.
BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy told The New Nation yesterday, “Awami League has the police and the administration on its side. So what can be expected in Gazipur?” “People can see what is going on in the name of elections. Winning city elections in such a way does not prove AL’s popularity,” he said. AL is determined not to give opportunity to BNP candidates at this time to win elections. AL aspirant of Gazipur city polls, Jahangir Alam said, victory in KCC polls has been a boost for the party. Gazipur has long been a stronghold of Awami League, he said.
Meanwhile AL has taken all measures for party unity to win Gazipur election. Eight groups headed by central leaders are working to resolve differences among local leaders.
Influential party leaders including ministers and MPs have also decided to take part in the campaign to start official campaign on 18 June. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has already cautioned party leaders saying “I don’t want any trouble in Gazipur. Everyone should remember that the ‘boat’ is our party symbol.” Internal clashes in AL had increased before the postponement of the Gazipur election. Party candidate Jahangir Alam was campaigning on his own. The other leaders of the party were not behind Jahangir.
