The ruling Awami League seems to encourage more candidates to compete in the upcoming Upazila Parishad polls so that the polls are more competitive.
The AL has already declared that it would not award the boat symbol to any candidate to ease the brewing commotion at the grassroots, created during the January 7 general elections.
As the party decided not to award a boat symbol to any candidate, grassroots leaders have already started appealing voters to vote for the respective candidates.
Against the campaign of ruling party leaders, the grassroots leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which boycotted the last January 7 national polls, have also started campaigning to view the race as the elections would not be held in a partisan manner.
The government in 2015 enacted a local government law paving the way for the candidates contesting for the position of chairman in the upazila parishad polls with symbols of the registered political parties.
At a meeting of the Awami League Central Working Committee on January 22, AL President Sheikh Hasina decided not to award the Boat symbol to any candidate to the party leaders to ease the brewing commotion at the grassroots.
The AL has paved the way for grassroots leaders to contest the general elections due to the boycott situation by the BNP. As a result, some 62 independent candidates became victorious, resulting in grouping in some areas. Incidents of violent clashes were also reported. Sources in the BNP say that they are yet to take any decision in this regard. But, amid pressure from the grassroots, the party may run a discussion in its next standing committee meeting and take the decision.
Talking to Bangladesh Post, locals of different districts say that at least six grassroots leaders of the ruling camp are running campaigns to woo the voters.
Apart from the ruling party leaders, the names of the BNP leaders are also in the air and they are running campaigns.
Local AL leaders say that though the party has decided not to award the party symbol to any candidate, the AL lawmakers in their respective constituencies may play their roles by extending their support to make chosen candidates elected.
If the MPs have any influence on the administration in electing their chosen candidates, then a chaotic situation might arise, they opine.
Responding to a question whether the influence of the MPs would increase among the aspirants, as the aspirants would vie the race without party symbol, AL general secretary Obaidul Quader said the elections would not be influenced by anyone’s will.
“There has been an independent Election Commission. The commission will discharge their assigned duties,” he said.
Asked whether the party would support any candidate in upazila polls, he said that they would not extend support to any paticular candidate.
“People will cast their votes and elect their chosen candidates,” he said.
Main opposition Jatiya Party leaders say that they will decide on the announcement of the polls schedule.
There are 492 upazilas in the country. According to Section 17(1) (Ga) of the Upazila Parishad Act 1998, upazila parishad elections should be held within 180 days of expiration of the tenure of the previous upazila parishad.
The fifth upazila parishad elections were held in five phases from March to June 2019. This time, the EC plans to conduct the polls in phases from April this year.