Jamaat set to nominate Shadik Kayem, what will Asif Mahmud do?

Jamaat-e-Islami has all but finalised Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) Vice-President Shadik Kayem as its candidate for the post of mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).

However, its alliance partner, the National Citizen Party (NCP), had earlier announced former adviser to the interim government Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain as its candidate for the same post.

Asif Mahmud is now one of the NCP's key policymakers and serves as the party's spokesperson. Since the NCP announced his candidacy, Jamaat's move to finalise Shadik Kayem as its own candidate has sparked discussion in political circles.

Some view the development as a sign that Jamaat and the NCP have failed to reach an understanding. Others believe the two parties are simply selecting their own candidates for now. What eventually happens remains to be seen.

Jamaat and the NCP contested the 13th parliamentary election held in February this year as alliance partners. Although the schedule for local government elections, including city corporation polls, has yet to be finalised, there are plans to begin them towards the end of the year.

According to NCP sources, the party is currently focused on making its own preparations for the local government elections. As the election schedule has not yet been announced, no decision has been made on any electoral alliance or seat-sharing arrangement.

Informal discussions are taking place with various political parties. However, Jamaat's decision to nominate Shadik Kayem for Dhaka South has caused unease among supporters of Asif Mahmud within the NCP.

Asif Mahmud was one of the leading figures of the July mass uprising as an Anti-Discrimination Student Movement coordinator. He was also one of the three student advisers appointed to the interim government formed following the uprising.

To contest elections, he resigned from the government on 29 December last year, joined the NCP and became the party's spokesperson. Although he had announced plans to contest the 13th parliamentary election from the Dhaka-10 constituency, he ultimately did not contest.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, a senior NCP leader said, “Jamaat had objected to supporting Asif Mahmud in the parliamentary election.”

“At the time, the party argued that it could not back him because of various allegations raised against him while he was serving as an adviser. Asif later withdrew from the election. The same situation is now unfolding in the city corporation election,” he added.

However, a member of the NCP's Political Council said that Asif Mahmud had taken a negative stance on several issues related to Jamaat's interests while serving in the interim government. As a result, the party strongly opposes his candidacy.

The senior NCP leader, however, declined to specify which issues relating to Jamaat's interests had prompted the party's objections.

The NCP is, for now, preparing to contest the local government elections independently. As part of those preparations, it has announced party candidates for the mayoral posts in five city corporations, including Dhaka South and Dhaka North, as well as candidates in 100 upazilas and municipalities.

On 29 March, the party unveiled its mayoral nominees for the five city corporations, naming Asif Mahmud as its candidate for Dhaka South.

Like leaders of other political parties, NCP leaders have also been holding informal discussions with members of various parties ahead of the local government elections.

According to a relevant source, NCP spokesperson Asif Mahmud recently held talks with Maulana Mamunul Haque, ameer of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis. The discussions reflected a mutual interest in working together.

Like the NCP, Mamunul Haque's party is part of the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami. He also attended a recent meeting organised by Hefazat-e-Islam involving seven Qawmi-based Islamic political parties.

Leaders of Islami Andolan Bangladesh, which has left the 11-party alliance, and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, which has announced it will no longer participate in the alliance's programmes, were also present at the meeting. Against this backdrop, Asif Mahmud's discussions with Mamunul Haque are being viewed as politically significant.

Speaking to this correspondent on condition of anonymity, a senior NCP leader said no decision had yet been made regarding an electoral alliance or seat-sharing arrangement for the local government elections.

However, if a new alliance was to emerge in which Islami Andolan Bangladesh and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish backed Asif Mahmud in the Dhaka South City election, while Islami Andolan and the NCP supported Mamunul Haque in Dhaka North, it could create a new political dynamic.

However, that no such discussions had yet taken place. The NCP leader further said that if the NCP were to contest the elections as part of the Jamaat-led alliance, it would seek support in one of the two Dhaka city corporations and in either Cumilla—Asif Mahmud's hometown—or in another city corporation in the vicinity of Dhaka.

Commenting on the prospect of electoral alliances for the local government polls, NCP Senior Joint Convener Ariful Islam Adeeb told Prothom Alo, “Whether before or after the election schedule is announced, if there is a national consensus that an understanding among parties would improve the chances of opposition candidates defeating those of the ruling party in various city corporations, then an agreement may be reached among the top leadership of different parties. But at present, every party is focused on strengthening its organisational capacity and reinforcing the position of its own candidates.”

In September last year, Islami Chhatra Shibir leader Md Abu Shadik, better known as Shadik Kayem, was elected vice-president of the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU). Ahead of the 13th parliamentary election, he campaigned for several Jamaat-e-Islami candidates, urging voters to back the party's election symbol, Daripalla (balance-scales).

At a meeting of Jamaat's Central Executive Council on 22 June, Shadik Kayem was provisionally finalised as the party's candidate for the Dhaka South City mayoral election.

He later stepped down as Islami Chhatra Shibir's central international affairs secretary on 13 July. According to relevant sources, he took the decision as part of his preparations for the election.

With Jamaat moving to finalise Shadik Kayem as its candidate, it has become increasingly clear that Asif Mahmud will not receive the party's backing in Dhaka South. This has raised questions over his next move. Will he still contest the election, and if so, how? Or will the NCP nominate him in Cumilla or another city instead? The answers to these questions remain unclear.

In a recent interview with Prothom Alo, Asif Mahmud said he is keen to contest the election. He believes some form of understanding will eventually be reached over the local government polls, whether through a political alliance or an electoral arrangement.

When asked whether such an understanding could emerge outside the Jamaat-led alliance, the NCP leader replied, “All possibilities remain open actually.”

Referring to his relationship with Maulana Mamunul Haque, Asif Mahmud said, “I have a good personal relationship with Mamunul Haque, and he is also in regular contact with our other leaders.”

“If there is any process involving them for the local government elections, it will be undertaken at the party level. But it is still not clear who will align with whom. I believe these matters will become clearer as the election schedule approaches,” added the NCP leader.

In the parliamentary election, the NCP contested 30 seats as part of the Jamaat-led alliance and won six of them. Asif Mahmud believes the party's grassroots suffered in many areas because it contested only 30 constituencies instead of all 300.

“We want to contest the local government elections independently wherever possible,” Asif Mahmud said adding, “Even if some form of understanding is reached, we still want to compete in at least 70 per cent of the seats.”