Ehsanul Haque Jasim :
The BNP is still undecided about taking part in the elections to the three city corporations although the deadline for submission of nomination papers is March 29.
The party is now under pressure from the leaders and workers at the grassroots as well as other leaders and activists for participating in the polls.
The elections to Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) will be held on April 28.
BNP standing committee member Lt Gen (Retd) Mahbubur Rahman on Saturday told The New Nation that the party had not taken any decision yet regarding the participation in the polls. The decision will come soon in this regard, he added.
He further said that they would take part in the elections if a neutral atmosphere exists. “A number of leaders and workers are now in jail or hideouts in false cases. We ask the government to release them to create the atmosphere of the elections,” he said.
He, however, said that the party’s grassroots, other leaders and activists want that BNP to contest the elections. They think that the party should not leave the field empty to the government to score alone.
Party’s another standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said that they would soon announce its decision about the elections after discussing the matter with senior leaders of BNP and its alliance.
He, however, said they are facing trouble in taking decision, as there are two views among the party men regarding participation in the city polls.
Sources said, the BNP-led 20-party alliance might bring a slight change in its ongoing agitation programmes if it takes part in the elections. The blockade programme might be relaxed in the capital and the port city Chittagong during the elections. But the programme will be continued as usual across the country.
Pro-BNP intellectuals suggested BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia to contest the city polls keeping the movement alive. A delegation of pro-BNP intellectuals met the BNP chief on Friday. The issue of city polls featured in the meeting.
The intellectuals told Khaleda Zia that the participation in the elections to the three city corporations would be the part of the movement for a fresh parliamentary election.
Taking the suggestion in mind, Khaleda Zia is planning to relax the blockade programme in Dhaka and Chittagong if her party takes part in the elections.
When asked, Nazrul Islam Khan did not clear anything in this regard, but said that the movement strategy would be changed if the 20-party alliance takes part in the elections.
The BNP-led alliance is devising its movement strategy to back three heavyweight candidates in the city corporation polls. BNP Chairperson’s adviser Abdul Awal Mintoo is likely to contest the DNCC polls as mayoral candidate, while party’s standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy or joint secretaries general Barkatullah Bulu or Ruhul Kabir Rizvi or party leader Dr Asaduzzaman Ripon might get the party blessing to fight for the DSCC.
In Chittagong, incumbent mayor Monjurul Alam or Meer Nasi might get the party support.
