Resentment over tickets to weak candidates

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A number of mid- and grassroots-level leaders of Awami League (AL) are increasingly becoming frustrated at the party’s nomination of several candidates with slim chance of victory over those recommended by AL’s own field-level survey.

Sources said the ignored candidates in around 40 constituencies enjoy more grassroots support and are more likely to win than the nominated candidates.

Party insiders also feared losing even more seats because of the party’s preference for nominating candidates from its allies, who, they suspect, will lose the election in the safe AL seats.

A number of high-level AL leaders admitted to flaws in choosing candidates for nomination. But talking to The Daily Star, AL Presidium Member Suranjit Sengupta said, “We can find out where the lapses are through a comprehensive review.”

The frustration has spilled onto the streets across the nation in the last couple of days, as aggrieved supporters of potential but ignored AL aspirants burst into angry protests in Chittagong Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barisal, Satkhira, Kishoreganj, Jamalpur and a few other districts.

Party insiders said the changes were brought completely ignoring a recent survey of grassroots demands and the popularity of AL aspirants in each constituency.

Some in the AL high-command and a number of mid-level leaders told The Daily Star yesterday that they are not happy with at least 20 seats allocated for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as these seats will not come to any electoral use for the AL and may take up crucial cabinet roles if they win the elections.

They believe there were competent AL candidates who could have easily won from those constituencies, benefiting from the BNP’s loss of votes to the LDP in those seats.

The AL insiders fear the benefit would be lost now and some of the LDP candidates might not be strong or popular enough to win in those seats.

Locals alleged that the AL decision to nominate unknown Jatiya Party candidate Bakhtiar Uddin instead of local AL leader Col (retd) Ishaaq has spoilt a good chance of winning in Barisal-3 arising out of a rift among the local BNP leaders.

Meanwhile, the AL nominations board has initiated a process to change some 30-40 candidates in a last-minute reshuffle. The changes are to come following protracted negotiations with the nominees and continuing protests both in their constituencies and in front of Sudha Sadan in Dhaka as there are several AL candidates for each of at least 100 seats.

AL Joint General Secretary Obaidul Quader told The Daily Star, “There are more than one candidate for several seats and we will choose the best, withdrawing the rest.”

The AL is also learnt to have filed nominations for all 300 seats, in case any party in the grand alliance decides to contest the elections independently.

Some AL nominations have already been changed due to intense pressure from within the party and its alliance.

AL President Sheikh Hasina herself initiated a move Wednesday night to persuade businessman Nur Ali to withdraw his nomination from Dhaka-2 to allow another businessman and LDP candidate Nurul Islam Babul to be nominated from the grand alliance.

In another last-minute change, AL’s 14-party alliance partner Workers’ Party got nomination in four seats with Rashed Khan Menon in Barisal-2, Fazle Hossain Badshah in Rajshahi-2 and two others.

Ganatantri Party President Nurul Islam was also nominated in Noakhali-3 instead of AL candidate HM Ibrahim.

Our Khulna correspondent reports: AL leaders of six unions in Koira upazila have boycotted the grand alliance candidate for Khulna-6–LDP Presidium Member and former speaker Sheikh Abdur Razzak. They believe AL’s Nurul Huq has a better chance of winning from the seat.

Protests against nominating Islamist party leaders have already forced the AL to nominate former home minister Maj (retd) Rafiqul Islam by withdrawing Islamic Front Bangladesh’s Bahadur Shah in Chandpur-5 seat, sources said.

A few AL leaders said they were trying to nominate AL central leader Nurul Islam Nahid who was ignored in favour of Afghan war veteran and militant Maulana Habibur Rahman, a Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish leader.

Meanwhile, some mid-level leaders alleged that a number of influential and self-interested AL leaders may have got nominations in exchange for favours and money.

Party insiders also said a few leaders, who have been away from their constituencies, have been nominated while those who have worked in their areas have been ignored.

Some of these complaints are against AL nominees such as Nure Alam Siddiqui from Jhinedah-2 and barrister Amir-Ul Islam from Kushtia-3, who allegedly did not visit their constituencies in recent years.

Meanwhile, Mahibur Rahman’s supporters protested and succeeded in gaining his nomination from Sylhet-2 constituency. Supporters of former AL minister for land Rashed Mosharraf, in burial clothes, lay for hours in front of Sudha Sadan in protest at the AL decision to nominate Hamidul Haq Dulal from Jamalpur-2 seat.

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