The Awami League (AL) and the BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) have quite different political aspects this Eid-ul-Fitr. The ruling party leaders are busy with the upcoming upazila polls in their respective areas. The Awami League leaders are running Eid-centric public campaigns and exchanging greetings to regain people’s interest in polls.
Meanwhile, the BNP leaders are trying to charge up their dejected leaders and activists at grassroots in their own areas and conveying them a message to ‘be active’ again.
The upazila elections are going to be held within just four months of the 12th national parliamentary polls. The internal strife within the ruling party at the grassroots has further intensified following the decision to not use party symbols in the upazila polls. In almost all upazilas, several Awami League leaders are running campaigns separately centring the Eid in a bid to run for the upazila polls.
To the contrary, most of the BNP leaders and activists now lack the spirit after the long anti-government movement went in vain. BNP planned to organise the party activists across the country through mass iftar parties throughout Ramadan. As part of the plan, the BNP leaders are trying to reinforce the morale of the party activists at grassroots.
After boycotting the 7 January polls, the BNP has decided to not take part in the upazila polls as a party. The party is eying to revive their anti-government movement by reorganising the party grassroots
The upazila parishad polls will be held in four phases in a total of 481 upazilas of the country. The voting to the first phase of the upazila elections will be held on 8 May. The Election Commission (EC) has already declared the schedules for the elections to 152 upazilas in the first phase and 161 upazilas in the second. The second phase of upazila polls will be held on 21 May.
Awami League busy with upazila elections
The potential ruling party candidates for the upazila polls are utilising the Eid festival and the holidays to reach the voters. Apart from declaring their candidature, these AL leaders are trying to gain the confidence of the voters too.
Many of the ruling party leaders have distributed iftar items and took part in different iftar parties during the entire month of Ramadan to mark their presence in their respective electoral areas. As part of this campaign, these ruling party leaders joined the Eid jamaat in their own areas and exchanged greetings with the common people.
Elections to Khoksha and Sadar upazilas in Kushtia will be held in the first phase. Incumbent Sadar upazila chairman Ataur Rahman is the president of Kushtia municipal Awami League. Kushtia-3 MP and Awami League joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif is his cousin.
Ataur Rahman is running for the polls this time too. Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said, “Eid is a great opportunity for us to get close to the people of different professions and classes. We have upazila polls ahead. So the party activists are busy with the polls even during these Eid holidays.”
However, he refuted any internal conflict within the party in his area.
The Awami League leaders and activists are divided over the contest of nephew and uncle in Madaripur Sadar upazila election. Both sides were highly engaged in their Eid-centric manoeuvres.
We are not defeated and are still in the ‘battle field’. People are on our side. We have to prepare for the final frontier. Our leaders are spreading these messages to our activists at the grassrootsRuhul Kabir Rizvi, senior secretary general, BNP
Awami League presidium member and MP from the Madaripur-2 constituency, Shahjahan Khan and Pavelur Rahman Khan, former Madaripur Sadar upazila chairman and district AL general secretary, took part in the main jamaat of the district held at Madaripur central eidgah Thursday morning.
Shahjahan Khan’s son and upazila chairman candidate Asibur Rahman Khan also joined the main jamaat with his father. Then after the Eid prayer, they exchanged greetings with the locals and asked for their blessings, support and vote in the upcoming upazila polls.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Madaripur Sadar upazila Awami League president Sakhawat Hossain said the candidates have been making their presence in the field known right from the start of Ramadan. They interacted with the common people on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr as well. The party leaders and activists in Sadar upazila are divided now despite both candidates coming from the same family, he said.
BNP vows to charge up activists
BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told Prothom Alo that party leaders always stay in their respective areas during the Eid holidays. Although Eid is a religious festival, it offers the politicians to connect more with the people.
He said, “We are not defeated and are still in the ‘battle field’. People are on our side. We have to prepare for the final frontier. Our leaders are spreading these messages to our activists at the grassroots.”
A reliable source in the BNP said the party held iftar parties at every level from city to union. The policymakers of the party feel this initiative has enhanced interconnections among the party activists and leaders and boosted their morale.
The party has provided the families of its members, who fell victims to force disappearances, killings and lifelong injuries resulting in disabilities during their anti-government movement, with Eid gifts and cash assistance throughout the holy month.
BNP leaders say there were instructions from the party to spend Eid in their own areas as a continuation of the party’s month-long activities. Apart from spending the Eid with local party leaders and activists, the leaders have also been asked to set specific organisational activities. The BNP leaders have asked its activists to focus on Eid-centred interactions with people to increase people’s involvement in their future programmes and movements.
BNP organising secretary Syed Emran Elahi, who is in charge of BNP central office, has also gone to his area in Mymensingh.
He told Prothom Alo, “The people of the country are going through unbearable stress. The party leaders have stood beside the families of our activists as much as they can in this tough time. They are giving the party members the message that our one-point movement demanding the resignation of government is not over yet."
"We are motivating our activists to bounce back and force the government to resign through our movement. At the same time, the leaders and activists at the grassroots have also been directed to involve common people in our movement to restore democracy.”
After boycotting the 7 January polls, the BNP has decided to not take part in the upazila polls as a party. The party is eying to revive their anti-government movement by reorganising the party grassroots.
The Awami League, meanwhile, is stressing on ensuring a competitive poll and a good voter turnout. The ruling party also aims to end the internal rifts within the grassroots.
Leaders of both parties are trying to make the most of these Eid holidays by their activities at grassroots to achieve their goals.
*This report appeared on the online version of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu