Bangladesh News

The Awami League chief’s directives to grassroots leaders of the party to pick a single candidate for the post of chairman in the upcoming election to upazila parishads appears to have fallen flat with rival contestants from the party still in the polls race in many upazilas.

Supporters of many candidates, who were not picked by grassroots level party committees, are clashing with supporters of party-backed candidates in many areas, let alone extending support to them.

In the first week of this month, AL President Sheikh Hasina sent directives to the president and general secretary of the party’s district units to put up only one contestant for chairman post to ensure the party’s victory in the local government polls slated for January 22, sources in the party said.

The party chief even asked them to take stern action against those who will ignore party decision.

Following the directives from Hasina, who took over as prime minister on January 6, leaders of district, upazila and union units of the party moved to act accordingly. They tried to select one contender for chairman through mutual understanding, or if necessary, through secret ballots, in many upazilas. But their efforts failed.

In some cases, AL central leaders also intervened to resolve the discords but did not succeed due to uncompromising stance of the contenders in the polls, party insiders said.

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, a senior AL leader seeking anonymity said many of the contestants did not agree to quit the electoral race hoping to ‘get favour’ in the polls as the party is in power.

Even in Pirganj upazila of Rangpur, from where Sheikh Hasina contested and own the recent parliamentary election, still has three AL candidates for the post of chairman.

The post is now very lucrative because it carries enough powers, and this why the contestants are not ready to quit the race, local leaders of the party noted.

Besides, now that the AL-led grand alliance is in power, candidates expect party backing to ensure his her victory in the election, which is being held after more than 18 years.

Upazila parishad chairmen will carry out development activities using funds to be allocated to these local government bodies without consulting the local lawmakers.

Despite efforts by senior field level leaders of the AL to resolve the feuds centring the polls, clashes took place between supporters of rival party candidates in at least six upazilas in the last couple of days.

The upazilas include Boda in Panchagarh, Bagatipara upazila in Natore, Barisal Sadar upazila, Batiaghata in Khulna, Gouripur in Mymensingh and Monirampur in Jessore.

The clashes left over 50 party leaders and activists injured and party offices ransacked.

In many upazilas, although rival contenders from the AL stepped out of the polls race following intervention from party high-ups, they are not working for candidates who are backed by the party.

And rival candidates in many other upazilas refused to comply with grassroots leaders’ decision to have one candidate for chairman. These upazilas include Kaliganj and Sreepur in Gazipur, Srimongal in Moulvibazar, Terokhada, Dighalya, Dakop, Batiaghata, Rupsha, Paikgachha, Fatullah and Koyra in Khulna, Sadarpur, Bhanga, Nagarkanda, and Modhukhali in Faridpur and Sadar and Hatibandha upazilas in Lalmonirhat.

But in some districts like Chuadanga and Bogra, party leaders managed to place only one candidate for the polls race for upazila chairman.

“There is no problem in our district. Following the party chief’s directives, we have picked a single candidate for the post in each upazila of the district,” Chuadanga district AL General Secretary Abul Kalam Azad said when contacted over telephone.

Contacted yesterday, Mansur Ahmed, vice-president of Satkhira district unit of AL, said more than one candidates from the party are in the polls race in three upazilas out of seven in the district, ignoring the party decision.