Khaleda Zia ‘positive’
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is inching closer towards contesting the upcoming three city corporation elections but avoiding an early announcement for ‘strategic’ reasons, although a section in the party has reservations about joining the polls, the party leaders said.
The party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, was positive about contesting the elections to the two Dhaka city corporations
and Chittagong city corporation but was doubtful whether there would be a level-playing field during the campaigns and about voters’ safety on the polling day.
Members of Shata Nagarik Committee – a pro-Bangladesh Nationalist Party citizens’ group, after a meeting with Khaleda on Friday night told New Age that the BNP chairperson was cautiously optimistic. ‘BNP is positive about contesting the city corporation but it has doubt about free and fair atmosphere for the election’ said a Nagaraik Committee members quoting Khaleda Zia.
‘The party is in doubt whether voters will be able to cast votes in favour of the candidates of their choice and whether the party-supported candidates would be able to work in a level playing field,’ another Nagarik Committee member who attended the meeting at the BNP chairperson’s office told New Age.
Eight members of Shata Nagarik Committee led by Emajuddin Ahmed, former vice-chancellor of Dhaka University, met with Khaleda Zia.
‘The BNP chairperson is concerned about whether there would be a level-playing field during the electioneering,’ said Khandkar Mahbub Hossain, an adviser to the BNP chairperson and president of Supreme Court Bar Association.
Emajuddin said that the meeting had discussed about level- playing field as well as possible turnout and the party- backed candidates’ fear of arrest and ‘repression’.
The elections to the three city corporations are slated for April 28.
A joint secretary general of BNP told New Age on Friday an early announcement of BNP’s decision might prompt the ruling party to change its strategies.
The BNP leader came up with the views when asked about the party’s latest stance over the elections to the divided Dhaka city corporations and Chittagong city corporation slated for April 28.
Many leaders, activists and supporters of the party were still in the dark about whether the BNP would finally join the fray.
A mid-level leader told New Age that he had been asked by one of the party’s policymakers not to say a straight ‘yes’ or ‘no’ if anybody asked him about BNP’s stand over the civic polls.
BNP standing committee member Mahbubur Rahman sounded positive when asked about the possibility of the party’s contesting the city polls. ‘Hopefully, the party would join the city elections. Scrutiny for selecting the party-backed candidates is going on,’ he told New Age on Friday.
Mahbub, also a former army chief, expressed hope that the Election Commission would ensure a level-playing field in the mayoral elections.
He said the names of party-backed candidates might be announced on March 29, the last date for submission of nominations papers.
Senior journalist Mahfuz Ullah, a member of Shata Nagorik Committee, an platform of pro-BNP professionals, told New Age on Friday that they were still hopeful that the chief election commissioner would create a level-playing field for the sake of fair city polls.
He was asked what would be their next step if the Election Commission did not meet their demands.
A delegation of Shata Nagarik Committee, led by former Dhaka University vice-chancellor Emajuddin Ahamed met chief election commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad on Wednesday and placed a six-point recommendation.
The recommendations included preventing the ruling party from attempting to harass candidates supported by other parties and their polling agents by filing ‘false’ cases and to ensure security of candidates backed by other parties during electioneering.
The CEC turned down a suggestion of the pro-BNP professionals to extend the deadline by two or three days for submission of nomination papers.
A number of BNP leaders, including national standing committee member Mirza Abbas, party chairperson’s advisory council member Abdul Awal Mintoo , party’s international affairs secretary Asaduzzaman Ripon, economic affairs secretary Abdus Salam and assistant organising secretary Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, who is in jail, collected nominations papers to contest for the mayors of the divided DCC. A number of ward councillor aspirants also collected forms.
Meanwhile, Chittagong unit BNP on Thursday officially extended support to the party chairperson’s advisory council member M Manzur Alam , also incumbent mayor, for Chittagong mayoral election.
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia has been consulting with the party leaders available and professionals directly or through standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan over the issue of the city polls, her office sources said. Nazrul Islam Khan has been staying at Khaleda’s office for more than one month.
The BNP high command was considering carefully the pros and cons in the case it contests the city polls before taking a final decision, her office sources said.
It was learned that most of the professionals gave their views in favour of contesting the elections.
The party which has enforced a nonstop blockade since January 6 did not formally announce a decision over the city polls till Friday evening.
Both the pro- and anti-election camps in the party have their own logic with the latter pointing to the ground reality when many leaders and activists are either in jail or on the run.
Some of them are aspirants for mayor, while many others for ward councillor in the three cities.
Those willing to contest thought that BNP has bright chances to win the elections, according to the party insiders.
They believed that leaders and activists would be energised centring the elections if the party joined the city polls and the current movement which seemed to have lost steam would gain a fresh momentum if the party won the polls.
Besides, this time a number of political parties would be in the fray, which, they thought, would give the elections credibility even if BNP stayed away.
The activists, particularly those who are in the movement, are against contesting the polls fearing that the government might use the election as a ‘trap’ to ‘frustrate’ the movement.
A top leader of Dhaka city BNP told New Age that in the present situation it would be difficult to even put polling agents in the booths.
He said he had conveyed his opinion to the party’s high command.
Source: New Age
