Four teams of the BNP-led 18-party alliance, each led by a senior BNP leader, are out there on the field to make sure the alliance-backed candidates come out winners in the elections to four city corporations slated for June 15 as it thinks the polls will have a great impact on their movement and the next polls.
Though the opposition alliance had earlier said they would not participate in any polls under the present Election Commission, it is now joining elections to Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet and Barisal city corporations amid the evolving political situation that they can win the polls provided those are held fairly.
As part of their intensified electioneering, the four high-profile alliance teams have been sent out to the field to rejuvenate the party leaders and workers, and work out strategies apart from monitoring the election atmosphere, Mustafizur Rahman Iran, chairman of Bangladesh Labour Party, a partner of the alliance, told UNB on Saturday.
He said a team of the 18-party alliance is working in Barisal city led by senior BNP leader Abdullah Al Noman, while the three other teams in Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet led by BNP standing committee members Nazrul Islam Khan, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain respectively.
Contacted, Abudllah Al Noman, now in Barisal, told UNB that he is coordinating and monitoring the electioneering of their candidates in the city at the directive of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia.
He said they have a fair chance to win the election if the government does not manipulate it as people have got fed-up with the misdeeds and misrule of the government and support their demand for restoration of the caretaker government system.
Mentioning that the opposition is in a good position over the four city corporation polls, he said if their party-backed candidates win the elections it will send out a message that the government has lost its popularity sharply which will eventually influence the next general election.
“If the government intervenes in the polls, what they’ve already started, it’ll add another dimension to our movement and our demand would be justified further,” Noman observed.
BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam who is monitoring the opposition-baked candidate’s electioneering in Rajshahi said they are highly hopeful about wining the city election as they are getting enormous response from people.
He, however, aired doubt about the government’s sincerity to hold the election in a free and fair manner as what he alleged the local administration is favouring the ruling party-backed candidates and creating obstacles to the opposition’s campaign.
Nazrul said if the government tries to manipulate the polls it will not only destroy the government image but also help give a boost to their ongoing movement for arranging the next polls under a non-party interim administration.
Another BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy who is coordinating the election campaign of the BNP-backed mayoral candidate in Khulna city, said their candidate has no reason to lose unless the government persuade the polls.
Voicing his doubt over the government’s intention to hold a fair election, the BNP leader said the consequence will not be good if the government tries to manipulate the polls.
Gayesawar said the government abruptly announced the election schedules for the elections to the four major cities by the Election Commission aiming to divert people’s attention from the opposition’s movement and win the polls without challenge by the opposition. “But now their strategy backfired as BNP-backed candidates are contesting the polls.”
BNP sources said another team of the BNP-led 18-party alliance is working in Syleht to ensure the victory their mayoral hopeful there. BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain who is returning home from china on Sunday will lead the team.
Source: UNBConnect