The ruling Awami League is facing a chaotic situation over the forthcoming upazila parishad elections as influential leaders and lawmakers have started backing their relatives and close associates to contest the polls, taking advantage of the party鈥檚 decision not to endorse any candidate formally.
This has sparked a fear of aggravating the party鈥檚 factional feuds while raising the possibility of multiple numbers of party members contesting against each other in the elections.
The Election Commission is now preparing for the first phase of the upazila parishad elections to 152 upazilas on May 8, with the last date for filing nominations for the polls being April 15.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and their allies were yet to decide about fielding candidates in the polls.
The AL earlier allowed party members to contest against its official candidates in the January 7 general election as part of its strategy to woo voters to polling stations amid opposition calls for boycotts of the election.
Several AL leaders told 抖阴精品 that it became a new challenge for the party to hold the polls in a non-partisan manner while maintaining peace.
They observed that the party鈥檚 announcement of not giving an official ticket to any candidate prompted influential leaders and lawmakers to pick their 鈥榦wn people鈥� for the polls.
They said that party lawmakers and local leaders have already been engaged in bickering publicly in various upazilas.
They said that such activities were seen in at least 17 upazilas, while close relatives of a minister and a state minister and at least 12 lawmakers started campaigning as candidates for the first phase of the polls.
Awami League leaders, who have been elected as independent lawmakers in some places, are also announcing their preferred candidates.
These candidates include sons, brothers, brothers-in-law, cousins, uncles of lawmakers, and ministers.
Recently, in a special extended meeting of the Dhanbari upazila Awami League of Tangail, Awami League presidium member and former agriculture minister Mohammad Abdur Razzaque announced his cousin and current upazila parishad chairman Harunar Rashid Hira as a candidate for the upcoming election.
Natore鈥檚 Sherkole union parishad chairman, Lutful Habib Rubel, has resigned from the post recently to contest as chairman for Singra upazila parishad.
Lutful Habib is the brother-in-law of information and communication and technology state minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak.
Asibur Rahman Khan, the elder son of Awami League presidium member Shajahan Khan, has announced his candidacy for the Sadar upazila of Madaripur.
Noakhali-4 parliamentary constituency AL lawmaker Ekramul Karim Chowdhury has announced the candidacy of his son, Atahar Ishraq Sabab Chowdhury, as candidate for Subarnachar upazila parishad.
In 2015, the Local Government (upazila parishad) Act was amended to include the provision of party symbols for the post of chairman.
In 2017, this civic body poll was held for the first time under party symbols.
The law still has the provision for election on party symbols.
According to AL leaders, a good number of AL leaders who contested in the 12th parliamentary polls against the party鈥檚 official candidates and were defeated also started campaigning to contest the upazila elections.
Kabir Mia was the chairman of the Muksudpur upazila parishad in Gopalganj. He left the post of chairman before the national election and became an independent candidate for the Gopalganj-1 constituency.
Kabir, a member of the Awami League鈥檚 central religious affairs sub-committee who lost to the party鈥檚 presidium member Muhammad Faruk Khan by 11,769 votes, started campaigning for the upazila election.
Khulna鈥檚 Fultala upazila Awami League president, Sheikh Akram Hossain, resigned from the post of chairman of the upazila parishad and became an independent lawmaker candidate against the AL official鈥檚 one.
In that election, Akram Hossain was defeated after tough competition against the current land minister, Narayan Chandra Chand. Narayan Chandra Chand got 1,13,580 votes, while Akram got 93,150 votes.
Akram is preparing to be a candidate again in the upcoming upazila election.
Former AL lawmaker Zafar Alam, who was suspended from the party for contesting against the party-backed candidate during the 12th parliamentary polls, announced that he would contest for the post of chairman in the Chakaria upazila parishad of Cox鈥檚 Bazar.
Asked about the matter, Awami League presidium member Kazi Zafarullah said that he didn鈥檛 think there would be any conflict or internal conflict over the candidacy.
鈥楨arlier, we used to give candidates from the party. Even after giving the party candidate, some of the rebel candidates contested against the party鈥檚 official candidates, causing internal conflicts,鈥� he said.
The AL general secretary, Obaidul Quader, however, said at a meeting on Sunday that the party was taking information about some leaders creating a chaotic situation in their respective areas ahead of the Upzilla polls.
鈥榃e know the issues, and we are looking for information. Appropriate action would be taken on time,鈥� he said.
