AL won’t nominate party candidates in upazila, other local body polls

Ruling Awami League would not nominate any candidate with its electoral symbol ‘boat’ in the upcoming upazila parishad election and the party leaders will be able to contest in the election independently.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of AL’s central executive committee on Monday evening. AL President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting at Ganabhaban.

The election commission said that the first phase of upazila parishad election will start in next March. The upazila parishad elections will be organised in several phases.

Election Commissioner  Anisur Rahman on Monday told journalists that the Mymensingh City Corporation election and the Cumilla City Corporation by-election will be held on 9 March. Elections in some pourashavas will also take place on the day.

The schedule of upazila polls will be announced after these elections.

Political parties contest in local government elections with their own electoral symbols since enactment of Local Government Election Act 2015. The political parties nominate candidates for upazila and union parishad chairman posts, pourashava and city mayor posts.

Sources present at the meeting of AL central executive body said, almost all leaders spoke in favour of not nominating candidates from the party in the local government elections including upazila parishad. They maintained that the recently concluded national election has created a rift in the grassroots since the party leaders were allowed to contest the election as independent candidates. Under this circumstance, the gulf will further widen if the party symbol is allocated in the local government election.

Later the prime minister supported the opinion of the leaders. She said none would be given party nomination in local government elections for the time being. The elections will be participatory and the popular candidates will win.

She said the party’s nomination board will be informed about the decision.
The AL leaders said turnout will increase if the party symbol is not allocated in the election.

At that moment, the prime minister said the ‘masters’, apparently referring to western countries, give lectures on turnout. So the turnout will increase if the election is open.

AL allowed its leaders to contest the 12th parliamentary election as independent candidates as BNP and other opposition parties boycotted it. As many as 58 independent candidates belonging to the ruling party get elected in the polls. AL leaders said the plan to open the race in local government elections came to the consideration of the party leadership from this experience of national election. The leaders said further discussion on the issue can be held if BNP joins the election.

A source in the meeting said, the issue of infighting between activists-supporters of party nominated candidates and independent candidates was discussed during the meeting.

Some leaders suggest holding an extended meeting to decrease the internal tension. But the prime minister Sheikh Hasina suggested not holding an extended meeting amid the conflict. She rather asked the organizational leaders of the party to become more active to lessen the tension and hold the extended meeting later on.

Sources from the meeting said whether BNP will join the election or not was also discussed.

On the issue, prime minister Sheikh Hasina said BNP can join the polls if it wants but they would be asked to join.

The meeting sources said the prime minister talked about the reactions of the western countries including the US on the 12th general election.

She said there was a controversy centering the US presidential election between George W Bush and Al Gore. Donald Trump is yet to acknowledge defeat to Joe Biden.

Sheikh Hasina said everyone should ask how can the US sermonise Bangladesh while such is the state of election in that country.