Ehsanul Haque Jasim : The BNP believes that the government’s initiative to hold city corporation elections is nothing but a ‘tactical move’ to divert the anti-government movement. So, the party is planning to face the government through a ‘counter tactical move’, as it wants not to leave the field for the Awami League without challenge. According to sources, the BNP may boycott the coming elections to Dhaka’s two city corporations and Chittagong City Corporation, but they may back particular candidates silently following the tactic of the Comilla City Corporation polls. BNP leaders will contest the elections after resigning from the party or the party will expel the aspirants. Later, the party will return the memberships of the leaders. BNP leader Monirul Haque Sakku contested Comilla city polls in 2012 under the banner of ‘Sammilito Nagorik Committee’. He won the polls defeating Awami League candidate. BNP formally boycotted the election, but Sakku contested it after resigning from the party. Later, BNP received him in the party, endorsing the election informally. “Such tactic may be applied in the coming city corporation elections,” said a BNP leader, seeking anonymity. From this view, the party has silently finalised the mayoral candidates, who will contest under the banner of citizen committee or such other banners. According to officials of the Election Commission (EC), elections to the Dhaka City Corporations (Both the North and South) and Chittagong City Corporation are likely to be held on a same day in mid April or May. BNP chairperson’s adviser Abdul Awal Mintoo and the party’s international affairs secretary Dr Asaduzzaman Ripon may contest the Dhaka north and south city corporation polls respectively, while the names of incumbent Chittagong city mayor M Manzoor Alam, city BNP general secretary Dr Shahdat Hossain, former state minister Meer Mohammad Nasir are being discussed for the election of the Chittagong City Corporation. When asked, BNP vice chairman Selima Rahman on Sunday told The New Nation that the election process in a ‘tactical move’ by the government to divert people’s attention from the ongoing movement. BNP is not now thinking about such election. The main focus is on the success of the movement. The decision will be taken later in this regard, she added. Alongside the BNP leaders, some news faces, who are former Awami League leaders and civil society members, are coming forward to contest the elections. BNP may back some of the new faces silently as part of its tactic. Former Awami League leder Mahmudur Rahman Manna and former Awami League MP Golam Maula Rony and Supreme Court lawyer Dr Tuhin Malik are planning to contest the Dhaka City Corporation elections. Rony visited the EC Secretariat on Sunday in this propose. He said that he decided to contest the election, as he believes that he will win it in a huge margin of votes. Manna’s lawyer Mohsin Mia said that his client is a candidate in the coming city corporation elections. Only because of this, he was taken to remand. The government does not want that he will contest in the elections, he alleged. “There won’t be surprise if the BNP silently supports Manna or others in the elections. BNP did such earlier,” said an observer. BNP standing committee member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman said that the party has not decided its strategy in this regard till now. The BNP took part in the city corporation elections of Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet in June 2013 and in Gazipur in July that year. The BNP-backed mayoral candidates won all. Candidates backed by BNP and Jamaat had also taken part in the upazila elections under the present government. The DCC election has been overdue since May in 2007. On November 30 in 2011, the government split the city corporation into two–south and north. Following the split, fresh elections were originally slated for May 24 in 2012. However, the High Court issued a three-month stay order as there were complexities regarding delimitation and preparation of the voter list.
