MPs, politicians warm up with informal campaign as they celebrate Eid with their voters
Although uncertainty looms large over holding of the next general elections on time, polls “fever” has already hit rural and urban areas, with Awami League and BNP MPs and leaders going on electioneering in several districts during the Eid vacation.
To woo voters and draw grassroots support, leaders of both the parties willing to contest the race conducted mass contacts, held meetings with locals and distributed money, clothes and food grains among the poor, report our district correspondents.
In Chittagong, three ruling AL lawmakers — Shamsul Haque Chowdhury, Saifuzzaman Javed and ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury — arranged free bus trips for many holiday makers, who went to their village homes from the upazila headquarters to celebrate Eid.
The three MPs hired 13 BRTC buses from the port city for Tk 9,500 per bus a day, BRTC sources told The Daily Star. Shamsul hired six buses for four days, Saifuzzaman hired three buses for four days and Fazle Karim hired four buses for two days.
Contacted, Shamsul said he had been giving such service for the past few years in public interest. Saifuzzaman and Fazle Karim said they followed Shamsul to ensure hassle-free journey for the home-goers.
During their stay in their electoral areas, AL MPs and central leaders have held meetings with locals, highlighting government’s successes in various sectors.
BNP lawmakers and leaders also held such meetings, urging local leaders and supporters to ready themselves to intensify street agitations in the coming days and force the AL-led government to form a non-partisan polls-time government.
Several top BNP leaders told this newspaper yesterday that the party high command will soon sit to draw up the agitation programmes.
“Programmes like road blockade and hartal will be enforced to step up the anti-government movement,” said Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, a standing committee member of the BNP.
Ever since the caretaker government system was scrapped in June 2011, the BNP-led 18-party alliance has maintained that it will not contest the polls if the system is not restored. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other top leaders or the ruling alliance have dismissed the demand as unacceptable.
Under the amended constitutional provisions, national polls are now to be held under the incumbent administration.
This face-off between the two main parties has sparked fears of further political unrest in the coming days. It has also created a sense of doubt in public mind as to whether the polls could be held in due time.
The current parliament completes its five-year tenure on January 24 next year, and under the constitutional provisions the next general elections should be held 90 days before that. It is generally expected that the polls will be held between late December and early January.
However, the uncertainty did not matter much for the ruling party and opposition party men. Both the camps are already in a competition, demonstrating their strength through showdowns in district towns.
In some constituencies, each of the two parties seems to have more than one potential contender.
In more examples of electioneering during the Eid vacation, State Minister for Youth Ahad Ali Sarker hosted a feast for more than 200 leaders of his constituency on Saturday. The Natore-2 AL lawmaker asked the local leaders and activists to start working for the election, locals said.
Enamul Haque, AL MP from Rajshahi-4, distributed three truckloads of saris and lungis among the locals on the eve of Eid. He also hosted Iftar parties in each of the 15 unions of his constituency, locals said.
According to his close aides, each of these Iftar parties cost Tk 15 lakh.
Aminul Haque, former telecommunications minister and ex-BNP lawmaker also hosted a feast for leaders and workers of his Rajshahi-1 constituency on Saturday. In the evening, he led a procession of party leaders and workers on more than 500 motorbikes.
Like in other districts, lawmakers and leaders of AL, BNP and Jatiya Party in Kurigram pasted posters on walls offering Eid greetings in different areas.
In Pabna, BNP leaders willing to contest the polls were seen busy drumming up support for party nomination.
BNP leader Shimul Biswas, a personal assistant to opposition leader Khaleda Zia, wants to contest the polls from Pabna-5.
On such electioneering, he said: “Being political persons, we uphold the spirit of elections.
“But we are now ready to follow the BNP chief’s directives to intensify the movement for the formation of a non-partisan government to conduct a free and fair parliamentary election.”
Source: The Daily Star
