The candidates of three political parties for the elections to Dhaka’s two city corporations have largely been finalised. National Citizen Party (NCP) has already announced Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain as its candidate for Dhaka North and Nasiruddin Patwari for Dhaka South.
BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami have yet to announce their candidates, but their probable candidates for the two city corporations are also said to have been largely finalised. Both parties are carrying out their activities strategically.
As this year’s local government elections will be non-partisan, BNP and Jamaat will not announce candidates directly. Instead, they will select candidates and extend their support to them. Thus, although there will be no party symbols on the ballot, the support of the BNP and Jamaat will be important in the electoral contest.
Senior BNP sources said the party had almost finalised Safiqul Islam Khan for the mayoral post in Dhaka North and Abdus Salam for Dhaka South. A notification issued by the Local Government Division on 22 February appointed the two as administrators of the respective city corporations.
According to party sources, when they were appointed as administrators, they were instructed to prepare for the city corporation elections alongside providing civic services. As a result, although BNP has not formally announced its support, there is little uncertainty within the party over its preferred candidates for the two city corporations.
Abdus Salam, administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation, told Prothom Alo yesterday, Monday, “Before I took charge, Dhaka South City Corporation had become virtually inactive. That situation has changed considerably. I am trying to ensure that citizens receive the services and facilities they need.”
Saying that he was preparing both for the election and for providing civic services, Abdus Salam said, “I am trying to work according to what the people want. Through this, I am preparing for the election.”
A responsible BNP leader, however, said that the two candidates were currently in place, but it was difficult to say what would happen in the end. There would certainly be surveys through various channels as part of the candidate-selection process, he said.
Jamaat’s candidates also almost finalised
The preferred candidates of the main opposition party, Jamaat-e-Islami, for the two Dhaka city corporations have also largely been settled. The party is expected to support Mohammad Selim Uddin in Dhaka North and Md Abu Shadik (Shadik Kayem) in Dhaka South. Selim Uddin is the ameer of Jamaat’s Dhaka North city unit, while Shadik Kayem is vice-president of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU). Until July, he was the central secretary for international affairs of Islami Chhatra Shibir. He is currently an associate member of Jamaat.
Selim Uddin previously contested the parliamentary election from Sylhet-6 (Golapganj–Beanibazar) and was defeated. Shadik Kayem, meanwhile, is primarily known electorally for his involvement in student politics at DUCSU.
For some time, Selim Uddin has been conducting organisational and welfare activities in various parts of Dhaka North. Shadik Kayem is also taking part in Jamaat’s internal programmes and carrying out activities as a potential candidate.
A responsible Jamaat-e-Islami leader told Prothom Alo that since Shadik Kayem still represents DUCSU, his active involvement with Jamaat is therefore not being made public.
Jamaat Central Majlis-e-Shura member Md Ataur Rahman Sarker told Prothom Alo, “Mohammad Selim Uddin has been reaching out to people from various professions and walks of life, and he is receiving a very positive response. We are hopeful that city residents will elect him and help move forward towards fulfilling their aspirations.”
Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar spoke about the matter yesterday in Dhaka in response to questions from journalists after a party event. He said the party was organisationally preparing for the local government elections.
The process of nominating candidates for union, upazila, district and city corporation elections was at its final stage, he said. Candidates had also been selected for the two Dhaka city corporations, although they had not yet been formally announced.
Referring to media reports, he said Selim Uddin and Shadik Kayem were the party’s candidates for Dhaka North and South respectively.
Asif faces first election, Patwary returns to the electoral field
The NCP has directly announced candidates for both city corporations. Last Sunday, party convener Nahid Islam announced Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain for Dhaka North and Nasiruddin Patwary for Dhaka South.
This will be Asif Mahmud’s first test in electoral politics. He has never contested an election at either the parliamentary or local government level. Nasir Uddin Patwary, on the other hand, has experience of contesting a national election. He contested the Dhaka-8 constituency against senior BNP leader Mirza Abbas and was defeated.
Ahead of the city corporation elections, both Asif Mahmud and Nasiruddin Patwary changed their voter constituencies. Asif became a voter in Ward 37 of Dhaka North, while Patwary became a voter in Ward 21 of Dhaka South. They were announced as candidates for the two city corporations shortly afterward.
Three parties, three types of candidates
Political observers say the BNP is putting forward two candidates with experience in city administration. Jamaat’s North candidate is a leader of its city organisation, while its South candidate is a familiar face from student politics.
The BNP’s South candidate, Abdus Salam, is also an experienced organiser. He was one of the senior leaders of the party’s Dhaka South city unit for a long time and also served as acting mayor of the city corporation. He is currently a member of the BNP chairman’s Advisory Council.
The North candidate, Safiqul Islam Khan, is a central vice-president of Jubo Dal. In the last parliamentary election, he contested Dhaka-15 as the BNP candidate and was defeated by Jamaat ameer Shafiqur Rahman. The NCP, meanwhile, has chosen two prominent figures from the front line of the political change brought about by the July mass uprising.
BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told Prothom Alo yesterday that the BNP would not nominate any candidate. However, the grassroots have been instructed to vote collectively for whoever is locally popular and acceptable, and ensure that person’s victory.
People familiar with the matter believe that because the elections will be non-partisan and there will be no party symbols on the ballot, candidates’ personal identities and acceptability will become important. At the same time, a major question will be how much the support of the BNP and Jamaat influences the vote.
The elections to Dhaka’s two city corporations could therefore also serve as a test of the popularity of the three political forces. Whether voters are more drawn to administrative experience, party organisation or a new political identity will become clear in the election.