The major opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is in great trouble over the upcoming elections in the five city corporations as the party’s local leaders and activists are in favour of participating in the polls as independent candidate.

BNP insiders said some local leaders of the party, including Ariful Haque Chowdhury of Sylhet City Corporation, may contest the elections in the city corporations, defying the party decision.

Talking to the Daily Sun, many BNP central and local leaders said the party is going to face great trouble for boycotting the city corporation elections as the local leaders are secretly taking preparations to participate in the polls.

“If such trend continues and a faction of the party leaders join the next national polls under the party in power, violating party decision, it will be great a risk for the BNP,” a central party leader said wishing not to be named.

BNP standing committee at its meeting on Monday took decision to boycott the city corporation elections and decided to take stern action if anyone of the party contests the polls, meeting sources said.

BNP has also taken a decision to hold programmes in five city corporation areas to drum up public support against holding any election under the party in power and the current Election Commission (EC), the sources added.

“However, if any local leader of the party contests the city corporation election under the banner of civil society or as independent candidate, leaving the party post, the party will have no objection to it,” he added.

BNP insiders said the party is now in trouble over the city corporation election as the party’s previous decision of boycotting the local government polls will be controversial if it participates in the city polls. On the other hand, the party has to face huge loss if it boycotts the city polls.

“Our party (BNP) has already decided not to participate in any polls under the Awami League government,” BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain told the Daily Sun.

BNP high command fears that although the government is claiming that the upcoming city corporation election elections will be free and fair but it will not be held in a fair and credible finally.

As per the poll schedule, Gazipur City Corporation election will be held on May 25, Khulna and Barishal city corporation elections will be held on June 12 and Rajshahi and Sylhet city corporation elections will be held on June 21.

Sources said in the polls for five cities, a number of local BNP leaders are interested to contest the city polls as Ariful haque Chowdhury has already met the BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman in London and sought his permission to contest the Sylhet city polls.

Nazrul Islam Manju of Khulna City Corporation and Hassan Uddin Sarkar of Gazipur also are highly interested to contest the city polls and they have been trying to convince party high command to allow them to participate in the local government polls.

“I think the BNP should consider positively for participating in the city corporation election as part of movement,” BNP leader Nazrul Islam Manju told the Daily Sun.

BNP leader Majbar Rahman Sarwar who was mayoral candidate in last Barishal city polls said, “There is no scope of participating in the city polls by the party as it has already resigned from parliament.”

Talking to the Daily Sun, a number of local leaders and activists of the city corporation areas said they are interested in contesting the city polls as it can be a part of movement and campaign before the next general elections.

They said if the party nominates candidates for contesting the local government polls, which does not determine going to the state power, and approach people, they can make people aware of the BNP’s demand for holding the parliamentary polls under non-party and neutral government.

The BNP participated in the city corporation elections held in 2018 while all its candidates were defeated in Rajshahi, Gazipur, Khulna and in Barishal city polls and only the party’s mayoral candidate Ariful Haque Chowdhury was elected as Sylhet city mayor.

Later, the BNP decided not to participate in any election under the current government and boycotted the local government polls, including that of city corporations. As part of their decision, the BNP boycotted Narayanganj city corporation election and Cumilla city corporation election held in 2022.

BNP expelled Cumilla city mayoral candidate Monirul Haque Sakku for life as he contested the city polls flouting party’s decision. BNP also expelled Taimur Alam Khandakar for contesting the Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) mayoral polls defying the party decision.