BNP faces attacks in municipal polls

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidates for the 30 December municipal elections have either come under attack or have been obstructed in at least 40 municipalities.
The candidates and their workers are alarmed, panicked and are campaigning cautiously.
BNP candidates in several municipalities, including Dhaka’s Savar and Gaibandha’s Gobindaganj, have already gone into hiding.
These reports were sent in by Prothom Alo’s correspondents from different districts.
BNP claimed that all of its candidates and workers were being attacked by ruling party men almost every day. Even the party central leaders were not spared from the attacks.
Elections to the mayoral and councillor posts in 234 municipalities are slated to be held on 30 December. BNP has fielded mayoral candidates in 219 municipalities. Besides, rebel candidates from BNP are contesting in a total of 32 of 219 municipalities.
BNP vice chairman Altaf Hossain Chowdhury’s motorcade came under attack by miscreants during electioneering at Rahmatpur of Kalapara upazila, Patuakhali on Tuesday morning.
BNP candidate in Kuakata municipality has refrained from electioneering in this situation.
In another incident in Pabna, at least 10 people were injured when a group of miscreants swopped on a procession of BNP-backed candidate at Dak Bungalow intersection in Sujanagar upazila on Monday night.
Meanwhile, miscreants hacked BNP’s mayoral candidate Azadul Islam in Birampur municipality of Dinajpur on Tuesday evening. He has been hospitalised in critical condition.
Earlier in the evening, a local Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal leader was chopped to death by miscreants in Adarshagram area of Matiranga upazila in Khagrachhari on Tuesday night when he was returning home after electioneering in favour of BNP candidate.
BNP’s mayoral candidate in Savar Badiuzzaman had convened a press conference at his residence, but ruling party men foiled the press meet by attacking his house.
Since then, the BNP candidate has been in hiding and his electioneering has come to a halt.
It is said that BNP had wanted to nominate the incumbent Savar municipality mayor Refat Ullah, who is now behind bars, as its candidate, but Refat Ullah did not agree out of fear.
Munshiganj sadar and Mirkadim municipalities have been flooded with the posters and banners of only ruling AL candidates while banners and posters of rival BNP candidates are hardly seen in these two municipalities.
BNP candidates weren’t even campaigning over loudspeakers and public address systems.
Although BNP candidate in Munshiganj sadar AKM Eradat is seen sometimes electioneering under police guard, there is no activity of BNP candidate in Mirkadim municipality, apart from some posters put up in front of his house.
Local BNP leaders and workers alleged that ruling AL men barred BNP candidates from campaigning in Munshiganj town on 10 December and since then the BNP candidates are carrying out silent electioneering.
“Men of the ruling party candidates launch attacks on my people whenever they attempt to carry out campaigns and put up obstacles against them. They tear down my posters whenever they are put up,” alleged Eradat.
BNP candidates came under attacks at Chandina and Chouddagram in Comilla also.
A microbus of Chouddagram BNP candidate Golam Rabbani was set on fire last Monday while BNP vice chairman Abdullah Al Noman and publicity secretary Zainul Abdin Farroque came under attack.
Crude bombs were exploded close to their campaign place.
“The ruling party men launched attacks on a meeting, but there is no administrative action against the attacks. It seems that there is an effort to hold the elections in a free style.”
Barisal correspondents also reported that BNP candidates were campaigning amid fear and panic and there is no that much electioneering in different municipalities in Barisal.
BNP candidates’ campaigns have faced hitches from Awami League men in Barguna. At Patharghata, BNP candidate Mollick Md Ohidur Rahman has submitted written complaints to Election Commission against Awami League lawmaker Shawkat Hasanur Rahman.
The Awami League candidate for Barguna Sadar municipality is now busy containing the party’s rebel candidate; therefore, the BNP candidate is yet to face any obstructions or intimidation from ruling party men.
Awami League candidate for Nokahali’s Chatkhil municipality Mohammad Ullah has won the election unopposed. It has been alleged he forced BNP candidate Mostafa Kamal to withdraw his candidature. BNP candidates have brought allegation of violating code of conduct by ruling party candidates in the rest three municipalities of the district.
The Awami League mayoral candidate for Lakshmipur Sadar municipalily, Abu Taher, has been allegedly threatening AMB Jilani, current mayor of Raipur municipality. Awami League candidate for Raipur Ismail Khan is brother-in-law of Abu Taher.
Out of five municipalities in Chandpur, BNP candidates for Haziganj and Chhengrarchar municipalities have been allegedly facing intimidations by Awami League candidate and BNP’s rebel candidate.
Awami League candidates have won unopposed in two municipalities out of three in Feni. Dagonbhuiyan municipality BNP candidate Kazi Saifur Rahman had went into hiding after submission of candidature. He came back to field three days ago and is facing threats from Awami League men.
Election is being held in nine municipalities of Bogra. Among them, Sariakandi BNP candidate’s nomination was cancelled but the rest eight mayoral aspirants of the party are now electioneering for the upcoming polls.
BNP candidate AKM Mahbubur Rahman, who is contesting for Bogra Sadar’s mayor post, on Tuesday complained directly to Election Commissioner Zabed Ali at a view exchange programme that he was being obstructed from electioneering. He also said that he had filed a general diary (GD) with the police station and arranged a press conference in this regard.
BNP candidate for Nandigram municipality told Prothom Alo that local member of parliament AKM Rezaul Karim of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) and his supporters are threatening BNP workers and supporters in many ways.
Of the 13 municipalities of Rajshahi, BNP candidates are campaigning well in 12 constituencies. However, Bagmara’s Taherpur BNP candidate Abu Nayeem M Shamsur Rahman is allegedly having troubles electioneering in some wards.
BNP mayor aspirants in both municipalities in Satkhira do not seem to have strong electioneering.
BNP candidate Aktarul Islam of Kalaroa municipality is campaigning for Sheaf of Paddy with a few workers. Being asked, Aktarul said his supporters and workers have been kept under pressure.
However, BNP nominated candidates are not facing that much trouble campaigning in three municipalities of Gaibandha.
BNP candidates in six municipalities of Sirajganj said they are being obstructed from electioneering. Belkuchi BNP candidate told Prothom Alo that one of his workers was tortured on Tuesday for campaigning and his posters and banners are being torn up. In Sirajganj Sadar, miscreants vandalised a car and injured seven BNP workers for electioneering.
Two BNP candidates are campaigning silently in Shailakupa and Harinakundu municipalities of Jhenidah as AL activists and leaders have attacked BNP candidates several times, while Harinakundu BNP candidate received a life threat from the supporters of AL candidate, alleged BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed in a press conference on Tuesday.
Jamalpur Sadar municipal’s BNP candidate also alleged that he had received a life threat for electioneering in his area.
Election is being held in 15 municipalities of Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts.
BNP candidates of Bandarban Sadar, Matiranga, Mirsarai and Baryarhaat alleged that they and their supporters are being attacked and obstructed every day while campaigning.
Bandarban Sadar BNP candidate Javed Reza said that ruling party leaders and activists obstructed him in several wards from electioneering.
BNP organising secretary Golam Akbar Khandakar told Prothom Alo that Mirsarai upazila chairman and BNP leader Nurul Amin were assaulted and cars were vandalised during electioneering.
BNP candidate Mainuddin of Baryarhaat was also attacked along with his brother Jalal Uddin.