Quarters close to govt active to ensure win for ‘certain’ candidates

Some sections close to the government are trying to ensure wins for certain candidates outside of the Awami League nominated candidates. Local Awami League leaders are involved in electioneering in favour of these candidates. There are also reports of exerting pressure in some places. Prothom Alo has information of such activities in at least 15 constituencies.

These candidates, for whom these quarters close to the government are working, are not Awami League nominated or independent candidates. Most of them are former leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Some of them are contesting in the polls with nomination of the ‘king’s parties’. Sources in the concerned constituencies and central Awami League revealed this information.

The sources further said the policymakers of the Awami League are aware of such activities. However, the positions of some of these candidates are so shaky that it will be hard to ensure that they win in the polls despite all efforts. Some significant Awami League candidates are running for the polls from some of these constituencies. As a result, there are efforts from the Awami League policymakers to control such activities in some places.

The candidates for whom some sections close to the government are working include Trinomool BNP’s Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury and Bangladesh Nationalist Movement’s (BNM) Shah Mohammad Abu Jafar, independent candidate Ziaul Haque Molla, who recently left BNP, expelled BNP leader Major (rtd) Akhtaruzzaman, AK Ekramuzzaman of Brahmanbaria, Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, Jatiya Party leader Mashiur Rahman Ranga from Rangpur, Rustam Ali Farazi and Ziaul Haque Mridha of Brahmanbaria, Pir Husamuddin Chowdhury of Sylhet, Shahinur Pasha Chowdhury and Saifuddin Maizbhandari of Supreme Party. Some of Awami League’s policymakers are involved in these activities.

The section close to the government is also active in certain constituencies where the ruling party has conceded seats for its allies.

Although the Awami League has conceded 26 seats with the Jatiya Party (JaPa), local leaders and activists of the ruling party have been asked to work in favour of the JaPa candidates in some three to four constituencies.

For instance, the local Awami League leaders are working for Anisul Islam Mahmud in the Chattogram-5 constituency. Lastly, former army official and JaPa candidate Masud Uddin Chowdhury from the Feni-2 constituency came into limelight after AL candidate from the Feni-3 constituency Nizam Hazari joined his election campaign. According to sources in the party, Nizam Hazari joined the JaPa candidate’s election campaign after getting signals from the top echelons of the party.

Local Awami League leaders are also supporting three pro-Raushan Ershad JaPa candidates at the field level.

The ruling party has relinquished six seats for their allies in the 14-Party alliance.  They are running for the polls with boat symbols. However, they will face independent Awami League candidates in each of these constituencies. Therefore, the candidates from the Workers Party, JASOD and Jatiya Party (JP) are expecting an additional effort from the ruling party to ensure a win for their top leaders.  

Tarikat Federation chairman Syed Nazibul Bashar Maizbhandari was elected MP from the Chattogram-2 constituency for two consecutive terms with the boat symbol. However, he failed to secure the nomination from the 14-Party Alliance.

Awami League nominated Khadijatul Anwar, son of late MP Rafiqul Islam, from this constituency. Nazibul Bashar is contesting the polls with his own party symbol 'garland'. Besides, Saifuddin Maizbhandari, son of Nazibul Bahsar’s cousin, is also running for the polls from this constituency. Awami League leader HA Taiyeb resigned from the post of upazila parishad chairman to contest the polls as an independent candidate from this constituency.

According to the sources in the Awami League, there is a discontent among the ruling party policymakers regarding Nazibul Bashar. This is why they chose Syed Saifuddin, another representative of the Bhandari Darbar Sharif.  He met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 27 December.  The next day, some top leaders of the party ordered the local leaders to work for Saifuddin in the polls.

Asked about this, Chattogram district (north) Awami League general secretary Sheikh Ataur Rahman told Prothom Alo, “We got a message initially to work for Saifuddin. However, now we are working for the party candidates at the field level.”

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Supreme Party leader Saifuddin said, “I got an assurance from the ruling party. I don’t know what happened later. However, I am still in the polls.”

The Awami League nominated Sylhet city unit AL’s president Mashuk Uddin Ahmed from the Sylhet-5 constituency and Nurul Islam Nahid from the Sylhet-6 constituency.

However, the local Awami League leaders and activists came under pressure to leave the electoral campaign of the party nominated candidates, the sources concerned say. It led to a division among the party leaders and activists. Nurul Islam Nahid will face Trinomool BNP chairman Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury. A portion of the local Awami League leaders and activists are working for him.

In this situation, Nurul Islam Nahid came to Dhaka last week and met the central leaders of the party. There are also reports of Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury holding meetings in Dhaka.

According to the sources, Nurul Islam Nahid has been asked to stay in the race. However, there are doubts as to how much he will be able to do as many of the Awami League activists and leaders are working for Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury in different places.

The followers of Fultali Pir always have an influence on the people in the Sylhet-5 constituency.  Islamic thinker Maulana Mohammad Husamuddin Chowdhury is contesting the polls from this constituency as an independent candidate. His father, late Allama Abdul Latif Chowdhury is known as ‘fultali huzur’ across the country.

However, it was assumed that Husamuddin wouldn’t be a big threat for Awami League candidate Mashuk Uddin. However, a portion of local Awami League leaders and activists have joined the electoral campaign of Husamuddin now. There are talks that there was pressure from the top leaders of the party to join Husamuddin’s campaign.

The nomination paper of the Awami League candidate in the Cox’s Bazar-1 constituency was cancelled.  Incumbent MP from this constituency Jafar Alam is contesting the polls from this constituency as an independent candidate this time. However, the local Awami League leaders are working for Kalyan Party leader, Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, who recently left the alliance led by the BNP to contest the polls. His followers claim that the Awami League activists, who had been working for Jafar, have been cornered. Many of them are not in the area.

Incumbent MP from the Kishoreganj-2 constituency Nur Mohammad, who failed to secure the AL nomination, has joined the election campaign of former army official and expelled BNP leader Akhtaruzzaman.

Despite party candidate Abdul Kahar Akanda and independent candidate and former MP Sohrab Uddin contesting the polls from this constituency, a large portion of the local AL leaders and activists are working for Akhtaruzzaman.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Abdul Kahar Akanda admitted to the allegation of putting pressure on leaders and activists to work in favour of certain candidates.

It has been learnt from the sources in local Awami League that there is pressure from the top of the party to work for the candidates who left the BNP to join the polls in the three of the constituencies in Bogura.

Besides, there are directives from the central Awami League to ensure win for Trinomool BNP candidate Shahinur Pasha Chowdhury in the Sunamganj-3 constituency.

In the Brahmanbaria-1 constituency, a large portion of the local Awami League is backing Syed AK Ekramuzzaman, who recently left the BNP. Incumbent MP BM Farhad Hossain is the AL nominated candidate from this constituency. He has conflicts with the local units of Awami League. Now six nomination aspirants are working for Ekramuzzaman. The JaPa candidate from this constituency has withdrawn his name to support Ekramuzzaman.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, a reliable senior leader of the Awami League said, “Many have been assured of winning to make them contest the polls to be held without the participation of BNP. Besides, Awami League is trying to ensure the presence of all in the next parliament, including rightist, leftist, nationalists and Islamists. There is no doubt that Awami League is going to form the next government.”