AL ministers-MPs' relatives reluctant to withdraw candidacy

Awami League asked children and close relatives of its members of parliament and ministers to withdraw candidacy from the upcoming upazila parishad election.

But they are not showing any intention to back away from the race as per the party’s instruction.

Today, Monday, is the last date for withdrawal of nomination forms in the first phase of upazila parishad election.  

Sources said around 25 close relatives of ministers-MPs are contesting in the upazila election. Of them, around 15 are vying in the first round of election due on 8 May.

In Natore’s Singra upazila, state minister for information and communication technology’s brother-in-law Luftul Habib withdrew his candidacy on Sunday. Allegations of abducting his rival candidate appeared against him. None except him among the close relatives backtracked from the election as of yesterday.

According to four organising secretaries of Awami League, the MPs whose relatives are contesting in the upazila polls have been informed about the party’s decision in this end. Some were even called several times and urged to withdraw the candidature of their relatives. But they showed reluctance by coming up with various excuses. Organising secretaries said they would talk to the concerned MPs even today.

An organising secretary told Prothom Alo that they have no option but to request the ministers and MPs. There is a meeting of Awami League's highest policy-making forum on 30 April. In that meeting, party chief and prime minister Sheikh Hasina will be handed over the list of relatives of ministers and MPs who will contest. Then a decision to take disciplinary action may be taken.

Upazila elections are being held in four phases this time. The first phase voting will be held in 150 upazilas on 8 May. The second phase of voting will be held in 161 upazilas on 21 May. The deadline for submission of nomination papers for the second phase ended yesterday.

In Noakhali’s Hatia upazila, Awami League backed candidates have already won uncontested in vice chairman and female vice chairman posts. The vote will be held only in the chairman post in the upazila. Local MP Mohammad Ali’s son Ashik Ali will run for the chairman post in the upazila.

The MP’s wife, a two-time MP herself, Ayesha Ferdous also submitted nomination here as ‘dummy’ candidate lest the nomination of their son is cancelled for some reason. None except them from Awami League ‘dared’ to field their candidacy in the upazila.

Now if the MP’s son and wife withdrew their candidacy, there would not remain any candidate from Awami League in the upazila. Earlier, MP’s brother Md Mahbub Morshed was elected upazila chairman twice in the upazila.

Local sources said Jatiya Party’s Mushfiqur Rahman has bought nomination papers in this upazila but he is not a strong candidate to put up any challenge. He contested in the last general election against the MP and secured only 6,000 votes.

MP Mohammad Ali claimed that the leaders of 11 unions and a municipality of the upazila and the current chairman, his brother Mahbub Morshed, jointly proposed the name of Ashik Ali. That’s why no one else from Awami League became a candidate.

The MP said his wife has been nominated as a cautionary 'dummy' candidate. Central Awami League knows that if his son or wife withdraws candidacy, the Jatiya Party candidate will win unopposed. That’s why he is not being pressured by the party.

The situation in Munshiganj Sadar upazila is more complex. The current upazila chairman Anisuzzaman is the only candidate to submit nomination papers in this upazila. He is the uncle of the current MP Mohammad Faisal. Anisuzzaman is about to become elected unopposed.

Local and central Awami League sources said there was some disagreement between the MP and his uncle centering the last general election. As a result, district Awami League vice-president Afsar Uddin Bhuiyan expressed interest in running for the post of upazila chairman. But as the elections neared, the disagreement within the family was minimized. Afsar Uddin could not dare to become a candidate.

MP Faisal said his uncle is a three-time upazila chairman and he did not consult with him about candidacy.

Election in Barishal’s Agailjhara will be held in the third phase. Local MP Abul Hasnat Abdullah has already declared his son Ashik Abdullah as candidate in the upazila. No other Awami League now dares to announce their candidacy in the upazila. Other interested candidates from the party said they will field candidacy if Ashik Abdullah does not contest following the party’s directive.

Apart from this, Asibur Khan, son of MP Shajahan Khan in Madaripur Sadar, Atahar Ishrak Chowdhury, son of MP Ekramul Karim Chowdhury in Noakhali’s Subarnachar and Sakhawat Hossain, son of MP Sahadara Mannan in Bogra’s Sariakandi and her brother Minhaduzzaman in nearby Sonatala have become candidates for the upazila chairman post. They did not withdraw their candidature till last night.

Awami League sources said they are mainly concerned about the first two phases as they have enough time before the last two. Moreover, the MPs and ministers would not be interested in making their relatives candidates in the last two phases as the party’s decision has already become known.

But the candidates of the first two phases have already campaigned and they spent money on the foray. Also in some places Awami League has no other candidates except the relatives of the MPs or ministers.  

A central Awami League leader on condition of anonymity told Prothom Alo that the party was late in taking the decision. Awami League instructed relatives of ministers and MPs not to contest in the election on 18 April while the deadline for submitting nomination papers was on 15 April.

That’s why many aspirants could not even submit nomination forms due to the candidacy of relatives of the MPs or ministers. This made  the relatives lone candidates of the ruling party in some places. If they now withdraw candidature, there would be no Awami League candidates in those upazilas.

Awami League’s sources said the party’s decision-makers were eying to keep the election free from the influence of the party’s MPs and ministers as BNP and Jamaat boycotted the election. The party also wanted to make those grassroots leaders upazila chairmen who have little chance to become MP or minister. But the ministers and MPs in most places made either their relatives or loyal people candidates in the upazila election. So, the question remains as to how much of that wish of Awami League central body would be implemented.

Awami League’s joint general secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim told Prothom Alo that the party prepared the list of relatives of MPs and ministers even last night.

He hoped the party’s decision would be implemented.

Disciplinary action would be taken if anyone flouts the party directive, he added.