The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party is yet to decide whether to join the forthcoming upazila parishad polls that are to be held in four phases beginning on May 8.
The party discussed the issue in its last standing committee meeting held on March 25 and kept decisions pending, fixing the next date of the meeting as April 1, which was not held for unknown reasons.
The party is facing pressure from its grassroots and some other leaders to join the upazila parishad elections, with the last date for filing nomination papers for the first phase of the 152 upazila parishads scheduled for April 15.
The party’s senior leaders are divided in their opinion over joining the polls or boycotting the polls, as the party has not participated in any polls under this Awami League government since the December 2018 general election.
BNP participated in the upazila parishad elections after boycotting the January 5, 2014 parliamentary elections.
BNP candidates won in hundreds of upazilas in that election.
Even after the 2018 parliamentary elections, it participated in local government elections in early 2019.
Later, the BNP decided to boycott the election, alleging the government’s ‘naked interference’ in the upazila, municipal, and union parishad elections.
Since then, the BNP has boycotted all types of elections.
Many candidates, including Monirul Haque Sakku in Cumilla and Taimur Alam Khandkar in Narayanganj, were expelled from the party for contesting polls and disobeying the party decision.
BNP leaders elected in upazila, municipality, and union parishad elections were also expelled by the party.
A section of BNP leaders have now said that the party should review its decision as civic body polls are not an election of changing government.
The party can stay away from taking any decision, tacitly allowing party people to contest the polls without party symbols.
The ruling Awami League also decided not to give anyone a party symbol in the election in order to avoid internal conflict.
They said that the BNP lost its representation in all local bodies as it did not contest polls for a long time, leaving party supporters and voters deprived.
They also said that, as the party currently does not have any major programmes, contesting the polls might help the grassroots become reinvigorated.
Some other leaders, however, opined that walking back from its earlier decision to not contest any election under the current election commission and the government would weaken the party’s moral position.
They said that the strategy of overlooking after allowing party people to contest the polls may not be effective as concealing party identity would be difficult when the party’s upazila unit president or secretary would contest.
Against the backdrop, many BNP leaders have already started campaigns in different areas to contest the upazila parishad elections, hoping that the party may allow them to contest the polls without a party symbol.
Asked about the matter, BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury told New Age that the party was facing a complex situation over the upazila parishad election issue.
He said that the party standing committee would decide within a day or two and the party’s position would be clear.
New Age
