Jamaat to field candidates in upazilas where it has a chance
While not making any announcement centrally, leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami will contest in the upazila election from the upazilas where they stand a chance to win.
The party's district and upazila committee which is in charge of deciding on joining the election or not and also on selecting candidates, has been given responsibility in this regard.
Jamaat-e-Islami does not have registration with the election commission as a political party. The party candidates are contesting as independent candidates. The probable candidates of the party have already begun campaigning in various upazilas.
Along with BNP and other opposition parties, Jamaat also did not take part in the 7 January Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) polls, not deeming that the election would be free and fair under this government. Four months hence, the first phase of the upazila parishad election is now to be held on 8 May. Without making any announcement, Jamaat's independent candidates will contest in this election.
Jamaat leaders, talking about joining the upazila polls after boycotting the national election, said the election commission had cancelled their registration. They had no representation in parliament. They hardly had any representation at the various levels of local government either.
In the meantime, one of the main religion-based parties, Islami Andolan, has decided not to join the upazila election as in the case of the national election. They have already issued directives that no leader of the party should take part in these polls. Islami Andolan did, though, take part in the previous upazila and union parishad polls of the local government.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Islami Andolan's senior joint secretary general Gazi Ataur Rahman said action will be taken against those who join the polls in violation of the party decision.
Jamaat leaders, talking about joining the upazila polls after boycotting the national election, said the election commission had cancelled their registration. They had no representation in parliament. They hardly had any representation at the various levels of local government either. That is why they are being somewhat flexible about the upazila election this time. However, they will not have widespread participation in the polls. They are fielding candidates only in the areas where the party has a strong organisational standing. Prothom Alo correspondents say that Jamaat leaders of various levels have already begun campaigning in Jashore, Satkhira, Dinajpur, Gaibandha and other upazilas.
In the upazila election that took place immediately after the 2014 national election, over a hundred Jamaat candidates contested and won posts of chairman and vice chairman (including women).
Various by-elections of the local government were held on 9 March. Jamaat leaders contested in many seats of these elections as independent candidates. The Jamaat-backed candidate Faruk Hossain even won the post of chairman in the Payraband union of Mithapukur upazila, Rangpur.
District Jamaat has finalised candidates for three posts in Damurhuda upazila parishad of Chuadanga district for the 8 May upazila polls. Jamaat has selected the district Jamaat naib-e-amir Azizur Rahman for the post of chairman, Damurhuda thana amir Nayeb Ali as vice chairman, and Jamaat's shura member Rehana Khatun as woman vice chairman. In Birampur upazila of Dinajpur, the candidate is district Jamaat naib-e-amir Muhaddis Enamul Huq. He is a former chairman.
However, Jamaat's central assistant secretary general Abdul Halim, speaking to Prothom Alo on Friday, said, "We are not announcing participation in the election from the party. If the district and upazila leaders are in consensus about contesting in the election, they can go ahead. No one will be forced to contest. In other words, no one has been encouraged to join the election, not have they been prohibited."
In the upazila election that took place immediately after the 2014 national election, over a hundred Jamaat candidates contested and won posts of chairman and vice chairman (including women). Jamaat boycotted the 2019 upazila polls that took place under party symbols. The party had no registration but it had the opportunity to field independent candidates. However it took the decision against joining those polls.
Meanwhile, while Jamaat is taking part in the upazila election in a scattered manner, BNP is still proceeding ahead with a negative attitude towards this election. BNP, however, hasn't taken a final decision as yet regarding the upazila polls. Leaders of the party have told Prothom Alo that a decision in this regard may be taken at the standing committee meeting to be held on Monday.