Multiple candidates in almost every union, concern grows within BNP

The schedule for the Union Parishad (UP) elections has not yet been announced. However, potential BNP candidates have already begun preparing for the polls. Even before receiving instructions from the party’s central leadership, they have started campaigning in various areas.

According to party and grassroots sources, multiple BNP leaders are expressing interest in contesting the chairman post in almost every union. Some have already begun reaching out to voters. In some unions, as many as three or four BNP leaders are preparing to run.

As a result, selecting a single party-backed candidate and uniting the others behind that candidate has emerged as a major organisational challenge for the BNP.

BNP leaders say they have not yet received any formal instructions from the central leadership regarding candidate selection or election strategy. Potential candidates are preparing on their own. The organisational process of choosing one candidate from among several potential contenders has also not yet begun.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission (EC) wants to begin the UP elections towards the end of the year. It plans to announce the election schedule in September. The government has also said that elections to all five tiers of local government will be completed within the current fiscal year. Taken together, political activity at the grassroots level could intensify soon as parties prepare for the local government elections.

M A Khalek, a BNP district leader, served twice as chairman of Motobi Union in Feni Sadar upazila. He has now been appointed administrator of the Feni District Council. As a result, at least nine BNP leaders or supporters are interested in or actively preparing to seek the party’s backing for the chariman post in the union this time.

The nine are Mir Mosharraf Hossain (Manik), convener of the union BNP; member secretary Shah Alam; former general secretary Nizamuddin; Fakhrul Islam (Masuk), joint convener of the upazila Jubo Dal; former convener of the upazila Chhatra Dal Delwar Hossain; and senior joint convener of the union BNP Golam Mohiuddin Bhuiyan.

Two expatriates aligned with the BNP, Rahman Raju and Nurul Amin, as well as Abul Kalam Majumdar, are also interested in contesting for the post. Raju and Nurul Amin have already put up posters.

BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has been emphasising the need for a single candidate in local government elections. At meetings with leaders of various district and city committees and at internal party programmes, he has told party leaders and activists that a “single candidate” must be selected for local government elections and that everyone should work together to ensure the victory of the party-backed candidate.

Most recently, at the BNP parliamentary party meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad last Thursday, Tarique Rahman also urged lawmakers to maintain unity and avoid creating distance with grassroots leaders and activists.

BNP Joint Secretary General and administrator of the Mymensingh District Council Emran Saleh Prince told Prothom Alo last Friday, “The BNP will support those who are locally popular and acceptable to the people—that is our declared position.”

However, BNP leaders at the district and upazila levels say that failure to bring multiple candidates to an agreement before the election could create conflicts at the local level. This could also weaken the party’s organisational strength. The BNP will therefore have to coordinate among potential candidates, persuade some to withdraw and ultimately support one candidate.

The leaders say anyone who runs against the central party’s decision will face organisational action, including expulsion. However, with multiple leaders already taking to the field before formal instructions are issued, it may ultimately be difficult to bring everyone behind a single candidate.

BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told Prothom Alo that no organisational instructions have so far been issued at the local level regarding candidacies.

However, at the meetings Tarique Rahman has been holding with city and district leaders, he has been giving instructions on maintaining party unity and supporting a single candidate.

According to BNP sources, Tarique Rahman has so far held meetings with 12 district and city committees in the Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions. He held a meeting with the Bogura district committee on Saturday.

The EC is rapidly moving ahead with preparations for the local government elections. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said on Thursday that the commission was preparing to begin UP elections towards the end of the year.

Of nearly 4,500 union parishads, preparations are underway to hold the first phase of voting in those that are eligible for elections. In that case, the election schedule could be announced in September.

The timetable will be determined taking into account the convention of leaving an average of two months between the announcement of the schedule and voting, as well as the legal requirement to hold elections within 180 days before a UP’s term expires.

According to EC sources, the terms of most union parishads will expire this year. The commission therefore wants to begin the elections this year rather than postpone them until next year.

However, several factors need to be considered in setting the voting schedule, including floods, Durga Puja, the workload of law enforcement agencies, examinations at educational institutions, and Ramadan and Eid next year.

As summer and the monsoon begin after Ramadan and Eid, the window suitable for holding elections will become even narrower. Based on these calculations, the current possibility is that UP elections will begin towards the end of November.

If examination schedules can be brought forward somewhat, voting could begin in the final week of November. The EC said it would discuss the matter with the Ministry of Education.

According to relevant sources, the government aims to complete elections to all five tiers of local government within the current fiscal year. Budgetary allocations have been made for this purpose, and the EC is also advancing its preparations. The commission is prioritising UP elections as the first phase.

The season is also being given particular importance in organising the elections. Alongside holding the polls during the dry season, there are plans to hold elections in the union parishads in the Chittagong Hill Tracts during the same period.

At the same time, the EC must coordinate the UP election schedule with the by-election in the Thakurgaon-1 constituency, which is required to be held within 90 days.

With the local government elections approaching, BNP leaders are also discussing the possible participation of leaders of the Awami League, whose activities have been banned.

Local leaders believe Awami League leaders and activists will try to participate in the elections. Although many of them are currently in hiding, they could quietly select candidates in various areas and enter the race after the election schedule is announced.

So far, the BNP central leadership has given no instructions on how to deal with such a situation.

Meanwhile, potential candidates of the main opposition Jamaat-e-Islami have already been active in the field. The National Citizen Party (NCP) is also preparing. As a result, the BNP will have to deal not only with competition from outside the party but also with the problem of multiple candidates within its own ranks.

BNP Chattogram Divisional Organising Secretary and administrator of the Chattogram District Council Mahbuber Rahman Shamim told Prothom Alo, “Those who intend to contest have already started working in the field. After the election schedule is announced, the party will certainly issue guidelines on candidate selection and other matters. We will work accordingly. However, we have not yet received any organisational instructions in this regard.”

BNP leaders say the party has not participated in UP elections on a party basis for a long time. As a result, local leaders are showing considerable interest and enthusiasm about contesting this time.

However, there are also concerns among the top leadership about ensuring a single candidate while keeping this enthusiasm within the bounds of party discipline.

Failure to maintain party discipline could lead to divisions at the local level even before the election. Therefore, even before the EC announces the election schedule, the BNP’s biggest organisational task is emerging clearly: bringing multiple potential candidates together behind a single contender.