Second battle will begin in local govt polls: Jamaat chief Shafiqur

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman today (27 February) called on party leaders and activists to begin preparations for the upcoming local government elections, describing them as the party's "second battle".

"Our first battle was the national election. The second battle will begin in the local government polls. Not a single position should remain vacant for us in this fight," he said as the chief guest at an event organised by Sylhet district Jamaat at a community centre in the city.

Shafiqur said his party aims to bring forward capable individuals from among those who stood by Jamaat during the national election and entrust them with local government responsibilities. 
"We will have to be considerate and sacrifice in this regard," he added.

Claiming that the outcome of the general election did not reflect public expectations, he alleged that the party's "rights were taken away" through the process. "Wherever we go, people tell us that we did not lose; we were made to lose," he said.

According to him, Jamaat achieved three gains: a meaningful alliance formed under its own leadership, the responsibility of the main opposition party and a simultaneous contest against "six forces".

"We have understood the combined strength of those six forces," he said, adding that others, including Transparency International Bangladesh and SHUJAN, have raised concerns over them.

He added the party must now determine its strategy to face what he described as a combined force in future contests.

Alleging that some made large promises in Dhaka's slum areas during the election campaign, he claimed that money and intimidation did not influence voters there, as reflected in the results.