Smaller parties joining the election fray

Bangladesh Kalyan Party’s chairman Syed Mohammad Ibrahim on Wednesday announced launching a new alliance ‘Jukto Front’ and joining the forthcoming 12th parliamentary election. GM Quader-led Jatiya Party (JaPa) also informed the media of its decision to join the election in the afternoon.

Sources said, in the next few days many parties, including several smaller Islamic parties, will change their decision and make announcements of contesting the elections under the partisan government.

However, there has been little progress in the projection that several prominent leaders from the de facto opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) would break away with the party and contest the election joining the Trinamool BNP and Bangladesh Nationalist Movement (BNM), known as king’s parties.

Sources said the higher echelons of the government are not happy with the situation. That is why they have been thinking about deferring the date of submission of nomination papers to encourage a few active BNP leaders and few more parties to contest the election.

Khelafat Majlis (wall clock) and Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan (banyan tree) will hold their majlis-e-shura meetings on Friday and Saturday respectively.

Sources said the two parties will take decisions whether to contest or not in the upcoming parliamentary elections there.

The two registered political parties with the election commission (EC) are members of a five-party alliance ‘Samomona Islami Dalsomuha’ (like-minded Islamic parties).

The alliance held its last meeting on Tuesday. Following the meeting, they sent a release to the media saying that in no way a free and fair election is possible under the current situation. In this context, there is no scope of joining the election ignoring the people’s opinion.

However, the next day some of the alliance members hinted about changing their decision. Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan is one of those.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on Wednesday night, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan nayeb-e-amir Mujibur Rahman Hamidi said, “No such decision has been made that we won’t join the election. Mainly the ongoing political situation was discussed in the meeting that day (Tuesday). We shall assess the situation and take decision in this regard.”

The governing side had been trying for the last few years to split the BNP-led alliance. Responding to the initiatives, Islami Oikya Jote, Bangladesh Khelfat Majlis, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, Islamic Party, NDP, NPP, Bangladesh NAP and a few other parties left the alliance.

In December last year, BNP broke the 20-party alliance and launched a new alliance of like-minded 36 parties. The parties have been waging a movement for the last 11 months for the forthcoming parliamentary election to be held under a non-partisan caretaker government.

The parties are now enforcing programmes like hartal and blockade with a singular demand of resignation of the government. Amid this, Syed Mohammad Ibrahim’s Bangladesh Kalyan Party and Muslim League (Sheikh Zulfiqar) announced to leave the movement and join the election. Both the parties are registered with the election commission.

Though the incidents were not mentioned, AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader in a party programme on Wednesday said, “Those who thought, who would join the election … flowers have started to bloom. Many more flowers will bloom. Hundreds of flowers will bloom until the submission of nomination forms to the election commission formally. That’s why there is nothing to be worried about.”

Syed Mohammad Ibrahim was the spokesperson of the 12-party alliance. He has been expelled and LDP secretary general Shahadat Hossain alias Selim has been appointed as the spokesperson of the alliance on Wednesday.

Since the chief coordinator of this alliance, Syed Ehsanul Huda, is in jail now, Jatiya Ganotantrik Party (JAGPA) chief coordinator vice-president Rashed Pradhan has been made the new coordinator of the 12-party coalition. This section of JAGPA was supposed to join the Syed Muhammad Ibrahim-led Jukto Front. They attended several meetings as well.

Sources said Islamic and other parties that are waging simultaneous movement with the BNP are being tempted to provide economic assistance and help them win in the election as MP. Some other Islamic parties are being pressured to join the election.

Wishing not to be named, an Islamic party leader told Prothom Alo on Wednesday, “There is soft pressure on us. They just said it’s up to you whether you want to join the election or not. If this government comes to power again without your help, just remember, there are cases against you, and you have establishments. Then nothing can be done.”

Despite creating an air of confusion, Jatiya Party has announced joining the election. This has made the governing Awami League a bit relaxed. Though it could not draw the Islamic parties towards the election, last-minute efforts are on.

A source of Awami League said the ruling party now targets Charmonai pir’s Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Dr Kamal Hossain’s Gano Forum and Nurul Haque Nur’s Gana Adhikar Parishad to bring to the election. Gano Forum might decide on the issue on Saturday. Besides, AL also eyes Oli Ahmed’s LDP. 

Sources said AL leadership had information that of the parties waging simultaneous movement with BNP,  8-10 will announce to take part in the polls immediately after the schedule is announced. But that did not happen. Some AL leaders blame those who were involved with the process for failing to bring these parties to election fray.  

But two important ministers on condition of anonymity had told Prothom Alo last night that the next 48 hours are very important. Some fresh announcement would come after Kalyan Party-led Jukto Front and Jatiya Party decided to join the polls. Some important persons and parties will make announcement in this regard, they claimed.

AL policymakers said the party will announce the list of its candidates in next several days. The party might not announce the candidates of all 300 seats at one go but in phases. That means, the party will announce the candidates leaving behind around 70 seats for 14-party alliance candidates, Jatiya Party and likely dissidents of BNP.

It has been learnt that the deferring the deadline for submission of nomination papers is also being considered as a process to bring the dissidents and candidates from other parties has not gained impetus. But AL is dogged on not deferring the election date.

AL general secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday said it is up to the election commission to decide whether to adjust the election schedule at a press briefing at the party’s Dhaka district office in the capital's Tejgaon.

Although any influential BNP leaders are yet to join BNM and Trinamool BNP, some former and expelled BNP leaders have collected nomination forms. Expelled BNP leader major (retd) Akhtaruzzman has collected nomination form from Kishoreganj, former central executive member of BNP Mohammad Shokrana are among them. Shokrana bought nomination form for Bogura -1 constituency.

Our district correspondents said Akhtaruzzaman wants to contest from Kishoreganj-2 seat. Bogura  Sadar upazila BNP’s former president Badal collected nomination from to contest from Bogura -7 and Bogura  district BNP’s former women affairs secretary Beauty Begum collected nomination from for Bogura -2. ‘

Bogura  district BNP president Rezaul Karim told Prothom Alo said those who are collecting or collected the nomination forms do not belong to the party.