Partners and allies of the Awami League fear defeat in the forthcoming general election on January 7, as they are facing fierce competition from the ruling Bangladesh Awami League-backed independent candidates.

Against the backdrop, Jatiya Party chairman and a candidate from Rangpur-3 constituency with the plough symbol, GM Quader, said on Monday that the Awami League had not given any concessions to them in this election despite withdrawing its official candidates from 26 seats.

‘Apart from one or two seats, in all of these 26 seats, the Awami League fielded independent candidates. Local Awami League activists are working for them. Only time will say whether we will stay or not in the election till the end or not,’ GM Quader said while talking to reporters in Rangpur.

‘There was no seat shearing in 26 seats, nor was there a grand alliance. These are all propaganda. We wanted the neutral role of administration everywhere,’ he said.

Facing reality, a group of Jatiya Party candidates has already pulled themselves out of the race.

At the latest, Jatiya Party candidates for Dinajpur-2 constituency Mahbubul Alam and Chuadanga-1 constituency Sohrab Hossain withdrew their candidatures on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, while talking with reporters at his village home, Jatiya Party general secretary and Kishoreganj-3 constituency JP candidate Mujibul Haque Chunnu said that the Awami League and their independent candidates were spending a huge amount of money all over the country.

‘Unable to compete with the Awami League and independent candidates, some candidates of the Jatiya Party are quitting the election race,’ he said.

‘We have given many candidates of the Jatiya Party across the country. All of them are not equal. Many are unable to compete with Awami League candidates and independent candidates of the Awami League. They are spending a huge amount of money,’ he said.

Workers Party of Bangladesh president Rashed Khan  Menon, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal president Hasanul Haque Inu, and other leaders of the AL-led alliance are not getting the support of local Awami League leaders and activists, according to reports available from their respective constituencies.

The ruling Awami League is participating in the 12th parliamentary polls as an alliance. The party left a total of six seats to its three alliance partners.

Among these, Jasad candidates are contesting from Kushtia-2, Bogura-4, and Lakshmipur-4 constituencies. Workers Party got Barishal-2 and Rajshahi-2 seats, and Jatiya Party-JP got Pirojpur-2, all with AL’s electoral symbol boat.

Speaking to New Age on Tuesday, Menon alleged that the AL-independent candidate in his Barishal-2 constituency, Fyazul Haque, and his supporters were committing violence.

Inu raised similar allegations against Awami League-backed independent candidate Kamarul Arefin while talking to New Age, saying that attacks were carried out on his campaign office to demoralise his supporters.

Kushtia’s Mirpur upazila unit AL president Abdul Alim told reporters that they were working to ensure the win of the independent candidate of the Awami League.

‘The president of the party [Sheikh Hasina] permitted independent candidates. As a result, we are expecting a huge turnout at polling stations. Therefore, we are working to ensure the win of the independent candidate,’ he said.

JP chairman Anwar Hossain Manju is contesting from the Pirojpur-2 seat with the boat symbol.

Though Manju is contesting with the boat symbol, no local Awami League leaders or activists have yet joined his election campaign.

Even a large section of his own party members recently resigned to join the election campaign of independent candidate Mohiuddin Maharaj, joint general secretary of the district Awami League and former Zila Parishad chairman.

The AL-alliance candidate for Lakshmipur-4 constituency, Jasad vice president Mosharraf Hossain, is facing stiff competition from at least two AL-backed independent candidates.

Rajshahi Metropolitan Awami League vice president Shafiqur Rahman is contesting against AL-nominated Workers Party general secretary Fazle Hossain Badsha in the Rajshahi-2 seat as an independent candidate.

The Metropolitan Unit Awami League has already declared its support for Shafiq.

Jasad’s AKM Rezaul Karim Tansen is the candidate of the AL-led alliance in the Bogura-4 constituency, where local Awami League leaders and activists mostly refrained from joining his election campaign.

The Awami League, which has been in power for three consecutive terms, has fielded candidates for 263 seats in this election.

Besides, another 269 leaders of the party are contesting as independent candidates.

The Awami League reportedly adopted the strategy to avoid the embarrassment of any candidate being elected unopposed, like in 2014, when no election was required in more than half of the seats.

The party ignored repeated requests from allies and partners to withdraw its dummy and independent candidates from the seats that it officially shared with others.