Ehsanul Haque Jasim :
Although the BNP has been opposing the government’s move to hold the local body polls on party-basis, the party is taking preparation to participate in the upcoming municipality and Union Parishad (UP) polls.
According to the sources, the BNP high-command has asked the leaders and workers at grassroots level to work for choosing candidates and ensuring their victory in the municipality and UP polls likely to be held in December and March respectively.
Party insiders said BNP wouldn’t leave the
upcoming UP and municipality polls for the Awami League without challenge. Before leaving the country for London, BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia gave instruction to her party leaders and workers in this regard.
“So, it is sure that the BNP leaders will take part in the municipal and UP polls though the party has now taken stance against the partisan election,” said a BNP leader.
Meanwhile, the Jamaat-e-Islami is also taking preparation internally to take part in the polls though the party may not be able to contest the polls due to cancellation of the party’s registration by the High Court. The matter is now pending with the Supreme Court.
Sources said, the party’s grassroots level leaders and workers would participate in the UP and municipality polls as independent candidates if the party is not allowed to nominate candidates. Many leaders and workers of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami across the country have already begun unofficial campaign for the upcoming polls.
Rafique Ahmed Chowdhury, a local BNP leader and Chairman of a union of Kanaighat upazila of Sylhet, said that he would contest the UP polls again with nomination of the BNP.
AKM Oliullah, a local Jamaat leader, said that his party has already asked him to participate in the Kanaighat municipality polls. When asked about difficulty of the party’s nomination, he said, “Now I am not thinking about this. Time will say what we have to do.” The Cabinet on Monday approved the drafts to four amended laws and one ordinance, paving the way to hold elections to the local government bodies on party-basis. Major changes brought through the amendments are on definition of a political party and independent candidate.
As per the drafts, only registered political parties will be allowed to nominate candidates. The interested independent candidates will have to present a list of voters constituting one percent of the electorate to back up their nominations.
The BNP termed the move as a conspiracy and urged the government not to go for the amendment. The party’s current spokesman, Dr Asaduzzaman Ripon, alleged that the government is trying to keep the opposition parties out of politics and election by arranging local polls on party-basis. He said the government wants to avoid the demand for fresh parliamentary election under a non-party government system through the local body polls. When asked about taking part in the UP and municipality polls, Dr Ripon said they have been opposing the government’s move, but they have not taken any decision about taking part in the polls till now. “Our party high command will take decision in this regard when it needs,” he said.
Meanwhile, the party’s standing committee member ASM Hannan Shah on Tuesday demanded a referendum to take public opinion about partisan local government polls. He alleged that the government is moving for holding polls under party banner to establish a one-party rule.
“The current regime has put the last nail into the election process of the autonomous local government institutions. The government even did not think that it is necessary to discuss such an important issue with other political parties,” he said at a memorial meeting at the National Press Club.
Swadhinata Forum, a pro-BNP platform, arranged the meeting to mark the first death anniversary of Prof Piash Karim, a political analyst and TV talk-show panelist.
Former Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University Prof Dr Emajuddin Ahmed also spoke in the function with president of the forum Abu Naser Mohammad Rahmatullah in the chair.
Prof Emajuddin strongly opposed the government’s move and said that it would create disorder in the local government bodies and destroy peace in rural Bangladesh.
