What will BNP’s strategy be for the local government polls?

Since after 1970, our national elections have been fraught with all sorts of agitation and conflict among the people. The national elections have always been on a party basis. After the tumultuous circumstances of the seventies and eighties, the national elections reached a certain degree of stability in 1991. Then things changed again after 1/11.

In effect, a one-party government has been established since the 2008 election. Even though there is an opposition party, it is not in parliament, nor is it functional. Those deemed to be the opposition in 2014 were nothing but a ‘domesticated’ opposition. An opposition of such ilk was discovered back in 1988 in our country.

Alongside the national election, the people vote directly in the local government elections too, including the elections to the union parishad, pourashava and upazila parishad. The union parishad is an over century-old institution. The people are always enthusiastic about this election because it is held locally. The people of the villages know the candidates. Up to a certain point of time, it has been the most popular persons at a local level, the most well-to-do or educated, those held in high esteem in the community, who became union parishad members and chairmen.

Things have changed. After 1971, the power structure of the local government went into the hands of a new generation. Those with more money and muscle control not only the national elections, but the local elections too. Good people have moved aside and the nouveau riche are taking over everything with money and muscle.

Those who would become local government chairmen and members would be highly respected persons. To them, honour was of great importance. We would hear, and even saw for ourselves when we were young, how many persons would even sell their land and use their funds for public welfare, to contest in the election. The union parishad chairmen and members would not receive any remuneration back then. Now those in the local government, receive benefits and allowances. All sorts of channels have opened up for them to make money. Huge amounts of resources and large budgets go through the ministries and departments to the union parishads. There is ample scope there to skim off the funds. That is how many become rich overnight.

There are two areas in which the common people are eager about the union parishad elections. Firstly, they can ensure the development of their respective villages through the union parishads. The people can go to the union parishad and directly discuss these matters with the chairman and the members. Secondly, the union parishad had long been non-political. Winning and losing in the election depended on personal interactions and identity.

In 2015, the Awami League government decided that the local government elections should be contested under party symbols and amended the law accordingly. The party people would contest in the elections before too, but with individual symbols. As they weren't representing any party, the voters would vote for them as individuals, regardless of party affiliation. But then it came to the mind of the ruling party that since they were in power at the centre, they had to take control of the local governments too.

No matter what election takes place under a party government, those in power exert their influence and take the election to their side. And that happened in the case of local government elections too. In most places the ruling party people are in control of the local government. This has not benefitted the local people in any way. Quite to the contrary, it has been damaging in many instances. The one-party government system has spread from the centre right down to the village level.

After the 2014 election, the Awami League government suddenly decided that the party symbol would not be used in the local government elections. What was the reason behind this whim? In the national election this time we noted that the competition was between Awami League and Awami League, or "boat" versus "dummy" of "independent" candidate -- all of the same camp. So no matter who won in the election, Awami League could claim the winner was theirs.

The local government election process and results will reveal whether this is the objective that is working behind the decision to hold the local government polls without the use of party symbol. If the results are one-sided, then it will be understood that those in power have adopted the same strategy that they applied in the national election.

BNP is a large political party. BNP continuously boycotted the national parliament that was formed after the 2008 election. They demanded elections under a non-party caretaker government. No heed was paid to their demand and so they boycotted the 2014 election. BNP joined the 2018 election, but then boycotted the 2024 election.

BNP boycotted most of the local government elections after 2015. But many of the local level BNP leaders, outside of party decision, went ahead and contested in the local polls under different symbols. BNP expelled those who disobeyed the party decision in this manner. But Awami League is much wilier in this regard. They too dismiss anyone who contests in the elections outside of party decision, but once they win, Awami League welcomes them back into the fold. BNP did not do so. As a result, BNP became isolated from the people in many instances.

This time is seems that if the election is held without party symbols, BNP is likely to join. In other words, if anyone from the party wants to contest in the polls, BNP will not prevent them, will not expel them. If that happens, the local government election will be much more competitive. If BNP-backed candidates join the union parishad or upazila parishad election, the turnout of voters will be higher too.

All said and done, it will be better if BNP joins the election. And they should announce in advance that they will take part in the polls. The candidates need to take all sorts of preparations to contest in the elections. BNP may be able to create a wave at a local level through the local government polls. The party has a large number of voters and supporters. In many areas their leaders and activists are on the run or in hiding due to the ruling party's harassment or in fear of being arrested by the police. Many are in jail. But if they come back into the fray for the local government elections, this will in all likelihood revive BNP. The move will go in favour of BNP. It will pay in dividends at the national level too.

Rather than isolate themselves by boycotting the polls, BNP's strategy should be to take part in the local government election to join the politics of the people. They should focus on the local problems in their campaign, rather than taking up the agenda of national politics.                      

* Mohiuddin Ahmad is a writer and researcher

* This column appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir