BNP leaders fear AL may play the B'baria game in 5 city corps

While the BNP is preoccupied with organising political movements demanding that the next national poll be held under a neutral caretaker government, the party has announced a boycott of the upcoming elections in the five city corporations – Gazipur, Rajshahi, Barisal, Khulna and Sylhet – scheduled for May and June this year.

However, the ruling Awami League will be competing in the upcoming election by nominating party candidates for all five cities, using the boat symbol. The Jatiya Party has also announced that it will compete in the election.

Politicians and political analysts said that the Awami League is likely to score goals in an empty field in the upcoming elections in these five city corporations since the Jatiya Party's political influence is not particularly strong in these cities.

In the city corporation election in 2013, the year before the national poll held in 2014, all the mayors elected in these cities belonged to the BNP.

Meanwhile, in 2018, the BNP boycotted elections in Gazipur, Rajshahi, Barisal, and Khulna. But in Sylhet, their candidate Ariful Haque was elected as mayor.

Many BNP leaders fear a repeat of the incidents that occurred during the parliamentary by-election in Brahmanbaria, where Abdus Sattar, an independent candidate who had been expelled from the BNP, won. There were allegations that the Awami League supported Sattar in the election to embarrass the BNP.

In this situation, the opposition party may face a crisis at the final moment of their movement demanding the next parliamentary elections be held under a caretaker government.

Some BNP leaders, speaking on condition of anonymity, have stated that the ruling Awami League has been involved in various conspiracies to create divisions within the BNP. The AL may attempt to persuade certain BNP leaders to participate in the election in one or two city corporations by offering them lucrative benefits.

Especially, the Awami League can implement the "Abdus Sattar" model in Sylhet, they said.

However, Ariful Haque, the current mayor of Sylhet, recently told The Business Standard that he would accept any decision made by the party regarding the city corporation election.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that the Awami League has destroyed the democracy and electoral system in the country to remain in power illegally. "In this situation, there is no question of participating in any election including the city corporation polls under them."

He further said that according to the decision of the party, no leader of the BNP will participate in the city elections. If anyone violates the decision, strict action will be taken against him.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Awami League said that their party will select candidates for the city corporation elections based on eligibility and skills. Nomination papers can be obtained from the party between 9-12 April. The final candidate will then be selected based on the decision of the party's central nomination board.

Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif told The Business Standard, "We will compete in the election with our own party candidates. We will not form any alliance with the Mohajote for this purpose. However, we will only nominate collective candidates in the national election as before."

On the BNP's announcement on boycotting the election, he said, "It does not matter if BNP does not compete in the election. Because all other parties will compete in it. As the BNP is facing an existential crisis, they are not able to field candidates."

Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader said that they will field candidates in all five cities for the upcoming election.

"The people will reject the Awami League in the election and vote for our candidates," he said.

Former election commissioner Brigadier General (retired) M Sakhawat Hossain said that the election in the five city corporations before the national poll will be very important nationally and internationally.

According to Badiul Alam Majumdar, editor of Citizen for Good Governance (Sujan), BNP candidates won the 2013 city elections because the election was deemed fair and acceptable.

"The Awami League made the impression that the national poll in 2014 would be fair as the city polls in 2013. But that did not happen," he said.

He further stated that both national and international observers would closely monitor the upcoming five city elections, and their assessment of the national election would heavily rely on their findings.

On 3 April, the Election Commission released the schedule for the five city elections. Gazipur City Corporation will hold its vote on 25 May, followed by Khulna and Barisal on 12 June, and Rajshahi and Sylhet on 21 June.