The ruling Awami League is going to take up its previous strategy in proposing names for the constitution of the election commission, party insiders have said.
The party will try to send names of chosen persons for the chief election commissioner and other commissioners through the allies and likeminded smaller parties, to the search committee.
The Awami League leaders have already discussed the matter formally with some allies of the AL-led 14-party alliance.
Sources said some top leaders of the partners of the alliance have been requested over phone to stay in Dhaka. In this regard the government is also in contact with some religion-based parties.
A presidium meeting of Awami League has been called at Gonobhaban on Tuesday. Leaders said whose names would be sent to the search committee and how, may be discussed in the meeting.
Earlier in 2017, this strategy was taken ahead of constitution of the election commission led by KM Nurul Huda. At the time, partners of the 14-party alliance proposed names of CEC and three other commissioners to the search committee.
Seven parties including BNP have refrained from joining the discussion initiated by the president. BNP has meanwhile said they would not propose names to the search committee.
Sources in the Awami League said a few more parties may take a decision not to propose names. In such a situation, names proposed by Jatiya Party, the main opposition in parliament, may become important. There is are discussions about appointing a commissioner from their list.
In this regard, Awami League will try to assess the names to be on the list of Jatiya Party. They (JaPa) may be guided informally.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, AL presidium member and agriculture minister Abdur Razzaque said his party will submit names to the search committee. However, qualified and acceptable names would be given. They have no headache over the names proposed by other parties.
There is a possibility of choosing bureaucrats for the constitution of election commission this time too. There is a discussion of choosing a former an army officer and a police officer.
Several Awami League leaders said there is a primary consideration of a former cabinet secretary and a principal secretary for the post of CEC,
Awami League held an informal discussion with the partners of the 14-party alliance and like-minded parties ahead of proposing names to the search committee for the constitution of the current election commission in 2017.
The 14-party coordinator at the time, Mohammad Nasim, who has now passed away, had requested the alliance partners to keep some specific names in their list. Even the government contacted Jatiya Party at the time. The partners and like-minded parties gave lists of five names each, in which a few names of Awami League's choice were included. For this, names of commissioners including KM Nurul Huda were in more than one list.
Sources in the political parties said at least four parties proposed names of KM Nurul Huda as the CEC. The parties are Jatiya Party, Workers Party, NAP and Tarikat Federation.
Jatiya Party (JaPa), Jasad, Sammobadi Dal, Tarikat Federation and Jatiya Party (JP) proposed the name of Rafiqul Islam. Awami League, Sammobadi Dal, NAP and Ganotantri Party proposed name of Kabita Khanam.
Sammobadi Dal and Ganotantri Party proposed name of Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury. BNP proposed name of Mahbub Talukdar.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, a senior Awami League leader said if there are names of choice in the list of more than one party, it would be easier to recruit them.
Like the previous time, the similar process will be followed. But a request would be made so that no party discloses names in advance.
Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon said they would hold discussions over the proposal of names. This has not been discussed with the 14-party alliance.
Seeking anonymity, a top leader of a partner of the 14-party alliance, said Awami League has contacted them. A request has been made to propose names after an informal discussion.
The search committee on Sunday sought names from the political parties by 10 February for the formation of the election commission.
Although there was no law for formation of the election commission, the commission was formed through the search committee in 2017. Law has been formulated this time.
However, the Awami League and 14-party alliance sources said there is no possibility of difference between the process of this time and the previous time.
The names which will be repeated in the lists of higher number of parties will be picked for the short list. Ahead of the final recruitment, as per the constitution, the president will seek opinion of the prime minister. The ruling party has an opportunity to verify their choices twice.
*This report, originally published in Prothom Alo print and online edition, has been rewritten in English by Rabiul Islam.