UP polls: Votes and civility both in exile
A total of 348 chairmen have been elected uncontested after polls to 3755 union parishads of the country. Elections to the sixth and final phase are yet to be held. In Union Parishad elections held in 2016, a total of 207 UP chairmen were elected unopposed. If this trend continues, all UP chairmen might be elected uncontested in future and the country would not need to spend huge sums of money on elections! Such a model of a good election!
People in past would usually vote amid a festive atmosphere where candidates would deliver their speeches before the voters. Voters were used to exercising their franchise without any fear. But the very same voters now fear the elections. Along with brandishing arms, the ruling party leaders, candidates and supporters have also devised a strategy to make verbal threats before the vote. As the main opposition party BNP boycotted the ongoing elections, competition is held mainly between ruling party-backed candidates and its rebel ones.
Alarmingly, those who have won the ruling party electoral symbol cannot put up with any challenge from others. Sometimes they are foul-mouthed beyond any civility. Pabna-1 constituency’s lawmaker Shamsul Haque, in a speech supporting his son in Bera pourashava polls, threatened to crush the opponents 'without any mercy'. Savar upazila Awami League president and former lawmaker Hasina Daula threatened to break the arms and legs of the rebel candidates. Meherpur district Awami League general secretary and Gagni upazila parishad chairman Abdul Khaleque ordered his party activists to occupy the voting centres and cast three votes in place of one if necessary. Rajshahi Bagmara upazila Awami League’s general secretary Golam Sarwar threatened to give the Hindu people a lesson if they do not vote for the ruling party candidate. A ruling party leader in Lakshmipur threatened to ‘kill by crossfire’ those who post anything against the ruling party candidate on social media. Another leader said those who would not vote for the ruling party need not go to the voting centre.
The ruling party has to take the role of flaunting arms and hurling abusive language at others. People’s voting rights have long been banished. Now all decency and courtesy have vanished from political field.
These are only a few examples of invectives hurled by the ruling party leaders. The people are listening to these on social media. Awami League leaders often claim that BNP is conspiring against the country by launching movements and boycotting elections. But BNP is not seen anywhere in UP polls. The ruling party has to take the role of flaunting arms and hurling abusive language at others. People’s voting rights have long been banished. Now all decency and courtesy have vanished from political field. This unwholesome practice in the name of election must be stopped and the election commission must wake up.