AL-BNP rebels boon to Jamaat

Just like the first phase of upazila elections, rebel candidates in Awami League and BNP in many seats may open the floodgates for the Jamaat-e-Islami to once again do “unexpectedly well” in today’s second phase of the polls.

Out of the 115 upazilas the Jamaat has at least 28 candidates running for the chairman posts. In around 20 of those, rebel Awami League and BNP candidates are challenging the contenders that these two parties are backing.

Experience from the previous phase suggests that the presence of AL and BNP rebel candidates raise the chance of Jamaat-backed contenders coming out on top.

In the first phase of the elections, Jamaat-backed chairmen candidates emerged victorious in 12 upazilas. Of them, in at least seven seats, there were rebel candidates either from the BNP or the Awami League or from both parties.

When the Awami League and the BNP were struggling to convince the rebel candidates not to run against the party-backed aspirants, there was not a single rebel candidate from the Jamaat in the first phase of the polls.

The Awami League and BNP will be in deep soup in at least 50 upazilas this time as rebel candidates there will make their wins difficult.

Some of those upazilas are Patgram and Hatibandha of Lalmonirhat; Badarganj of Rangpur; Kalai of Joypurhat; Birganj and Birampur of Dinajpur; Lalpur, Sadar and Gurudaspur of Natore; Mohespur of Jhenaidha; Bagha of Rajshahi and Chokoria of Cox’s Bazar.

Anwarul Islam Nazu, president of Patgram upazila unit Awami League, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Because of the rebel candidates, the Awami League’s vote will certainly be divided helping the Jamaat candidates gain the upper hand over the aspirants of the major parties.”

The best example of how the Jamaat candidates come out successful cashing in on internecine feud in the two major parties can be taken from an upazila of Lalmonirhat.

According to our Lalmonirhat correspondent Liakat Hossain Bachchu is the Awami League-backed chairman contender in Hatibandha upazila. His nephew Habibur Rahman Satha is a Jamaat-backed candidate. Apart from them, there are three candidates from the BNP tent – one is officially backed by the party and two others are rebels.

On Monday night, all the three BNP candidates pulled out of the elections and extended their support to the Jamaat candidate.

Nurujjaman Khan Manik, president of Bagha upazila unit BNP, said: “Either the Jamaat or Awami League might secure the chairman post taking the advantage of the rift in our party as we have two rebel candidates.”

In Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira where the Awami league-backed candidates did well in other upazials the first phase is now under pressure as they have rebel candidates there. Moreover, the BNP has extended support to the Jamaat.

Nazrul Islam, general secretary of Satkhira Awami League, said they had backed Anisuzzaman Anis as the grassroots voted for him but SM Lenin is contesting the polls violating the party order and he was expelled.

“As there is a single candidate from the BNP-led 19-party alliance, they are in the upper hand. But voters will obviously think about the Jamaat’s violence in Satkhira.”

In the second phase, elections will be held in 115 upazila parishads in 52 districts today with tight security measures in place. The voting will start from 8am and end at 4pm without any break.

Polls to Maheshkhali upazila parishad in Cox’s Bazaar will be held on March 1 instead of February 27. The election to Haimchar upazila parishad in Chnadpur has been stayed due to a High Court order.

A total of 1340 candidates from ruling Awami League, BNP, Jatiya Party and Jamaat-e-Islami are contesting in 115 upazila polls. 500 candidates for chairmen, 506 for vice-chairmen and 334 for reserved women vice-chairmen are contesting in 115 upazila polls.

Of the total, 1,95,92,868 would apply their voting rights where 98, 05, 150 males and 97, 87, 718 are females. The commission has set up 8, 032 polling centres and 51,129 polling booths to hold the polls.

EC officials said it had appointed 8,032 presiding officers and 1, 02, 258 polling officers in 115 upazila polls.

The army have been deployed in 115 upazilas as striking force to hold the polls in free and fair manner. Police, RAB, Border Guard Bangladesh and Ansar have also been deployed in the election areas.

The commission has also appointed 460 executives and 116 judicial magistrates in the second phases of upazila polls, EC officials said.