AL candidates upset at party strategy to field independent candidates

Awami League-nominated candidates are annoyed at the strategy adopted by the party to field independent candidates in the 12th Jatiya Sangsad election. Many of the candidates nominated by the party are worried that even with the 'boat' symbol they may lose to the independent candidates. They apprehend clashes too. Certain leaders feel that this may create a permanent rift in the party at the grassroots. It will not be easy to mend this split, they feel.

On Thursday night, clashes broke out at Naria of the Shariatpur-2 constituency between supporters of the Awami League candidate and those of the independent candidate. Over a hundred crude bombs ('cocktails') were exploded and at least five were injured on the clashes.

Awami League has nominated the incumbent member of parliament and deputy minister for water resources Enamul Huq Shameem as its candidate in Sharitpur-2. He is Chhatra League former president and former organising secretary of Awami League's central committee. On the other hand, Jubo League presidium member Khaled Shawkat Ali has also submitted his nomination paper as an independent candidate. He is the son of the former member of parliament of this seat, the late deputy speaker Shawkat Alo. The supporters of these two candidates clashed.

Speaking to several Awami League policymakers, the party-nominated candidates as well as independent candidates, it was learnt that many of the party-nominated men find themselves isolated because almost all of the senior leaders in the party are siding with independent candidates. Then again, some incumbent members of parliament, deprived of nomination this time, are contesting as independent candidates. There is fear that under such circumstances, divisions may emerge even in the administration and among the party's central leaders.

A cabinet member told Prothom Alo that the independent candidate of his constituency has become a bone of contention. He said, winning and losing is a different question. But this is creating a permanent rift at the grassroots in the party.

According to Awami League policymakers, two objectives are working behind the 'independent strategy'. Firstly, to field many candidates together in order to create an election vibe, defusing the blockade programmes of BNP and other opposition parties.

Secondly, Awami League is eyeing a risk up until the 17 December deadline to withdraw nomination. If Jatiya Party and any other parties decides to withdraw their candidacies, the election will not be competitive and voter turnout will fall. Seeing this as a worst case scenario, Awami League has decided to field independent candidates to tackle the situation.

According to Awami League sources, this 'independent strategy' may change after 17 December, though the leaders are not clear what this change may be. Many feel that an order may be issued that no one holding a post in the party can contest as an independent candidate. That would mean that at least half the independent candidates would drop out of the fray.  Then again, there is apprehension that not everyone may abide by this decision.

Awami League's constitution maintains that if any one becomes a candidate and contests against the party candidate in the national or local government election, they will be directly expelled.

In the past, however, most of the independent candidates did not withdraw their candidature after being expelled in the local government elections. Last May in the Gazipur City Corporation elections, former mayor Jahangir Alam's mother Zayeda Khatun contested against the party candidate and won. Jahangir Alam had been expelled from the party, but that did not stop him at all.

Once Zayeda Khatun won the mayoral election, the party persons greeted her as 'one of us'. Later the expulsion order against Jahangir was also withdrawn. Now there is talk that the national election too might take place on the lines of this 'Gazipur model'.

There are 442 independent Awami League candidates all over the country. Awami League policymakers feel that that the party candidate will face a tough challenge from the independents in 70 to 80 seats.

Once such constituency is Faridpur-4 where the tussle between Awami League presidium member Kazi Zafarullah and Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury Nixon goes back over the last decade. While Kazi Zafarullah was nominated by the party in the past two elections, he was defeated by Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury in both. Kazi Zafarullah has been made the co-chairman of Awami League central committee to conduct the election. And having defeated the party candidate twice, Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury in 2020 became presidium member of Jubo League.

Awami League leaders had assumed this time that since Kazi Zafarullah had been made co-chairman of the central committee to conduct the election, he would not contest in the polls. But he has been given nomination and, yet again, Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury has submitted his nomination papers as an independent candidate. In the meantime, Zafarullah and Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury have begun their verbally lashing out against one another.

Member of parliament and state minister for water resources Zahid Faruk has secured party nomination for the Barishal-5 seat. Barishal city corporation mayor and city Awami League general secretary Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah is the independent candidate. Another businessman, Salahuddin Ripon, is also an independent candidate for this seat. He has long worked outside the city corporation in the unions of the Sadar upazila. Here, too, no one is willing to make any compromises.

In the Faridpur-3 seat, district president Shameem Huq has been nominated instead of Khandakar Musharraf Hossain. Contesting against him as an independent candidate is businessman AK Azad. AK Azad has long been an aspirant for nomination to this seat and Shameem Huq is a new candidate. The local people predict a tough fight here too.

As in the case of Khandakar Musharraf Hossain, his son-on-law Habib-e Millat has been dropped from the Sirajganj-2 seat. Jannat Ara Henry is the candidate here, while Habib-e Millat is the independent candidate. party sources say that Habib-e Millat will be a formidable challenge to Jannat Ara.

There had been a long standing conflict between Afzal Khan and the present lawmaker AKM Bahauddin Bahar in the Cumilla-6 seat. After Afzal Khan passed away, conflict broke out between his offspring. Contesting against party candidate Bahauddin for this seat will be Afzal Khan's daughter Anjum Sultana Seema. She is a lawmaker from the reserved seats for women. Bahar is city Awami League president and Seema is vice president. But they hold party events separately.

A total of 71 MPs did not get Awami League nomination this time. Of them, 61 have become independent candidates including the Chattogram-12 MP and whip in parliament Shamsul Huq Chowdhury and Barishal-4 MP Pankaj Nath. Party leaders say that these lawmakers have clout in their constituencies as incumbent members of parliament and so the party candidates will face stiff challenge.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Awami League's joint general secretary Mahbub Ul Alam Hanif said the party will issue instructions regarding the independent candidates, but only after the deadline for withdrawing nomination papers.