The ruling Awami League has now backtracked on giving party nominations in the forthcoming upazila elections in a move to reduce the party’s internal conflicts after the one-sided January 7 general polls.

The AL government introduced the provision of giving party nominations for local body polls ignoring criticisms in 2015.

Experts have said that the AL is making and unmaking laws and rules for its political gains as the government of Sheikh Hasina continues in office for the fourth consecutive term.

‘The ruling Awami League government is using the rules and laws in favour of the party as it continues for the fourth consecutive term in power,’ said Abul Kashem Fazlul Haq, a retired Bangla professor of Dhaka University.

Referring to the Upzila Parishad (Amendment) Act, 2015, Election Commission secretary Md Jahangir Alam told New Age that registered political parties could give party nominations in upazila elections and also refrain from it as per the law.

‘But without party nominations, the candidates would be considered as independents,’ he added.

He said that according to the same law, independent candidates had to submit signatures of 250 voters in the upazila to ensure their candidacy.

Former election commissioner Shakhawat Hossain projected that 90 per cent of the candidates would be from the ruling party, while it would be difficult for others to manage 250 signatures of voters.

‘The election cannot be called an open one as the party candidates or former upazila chairmen do not require signatures. The ruling party has absolute majority and it can change the law anytime,’ he added.

Another former election commissioner, Mohammad Shahnewaz said that AL leaders could explain better why they decided not to give party nominations as the party itself introduced it in 2015.

AL organising secretary SM Kamal Hossain told New Age that they had taken the move to reduce the party’s ongoing internal conflicts triggered by the national elections.

‘We hope that open candidacy in upazila elections will remove the differences among the party grassroots leaders,’ he said.

Another AL organising secretary BM Mozammel Haque said that prime minister Sheikh Hasina allowed party’s ‘dummy candidates’ to participate in the election to show the election participatory, facing mounting  foreign pressure before the national polls as the ‘Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami were trying to come to power through conspiracy and arson extremism’.

At least 14 people have been killed and over 500 injured in factional clashes between the AL-nominated candidates and its dummies since mid-November across the country, according to New Age correspondents and police.

Several thousand people also left their homes in fear of torture by their opponents.

The AL’s allowing party people to compete the election as independent candidates or dummies to present the January 7 polls as participatory intensified its internal conflicts.

AL central leader Mozammel, who is in-charge of Khulna division, said that they were holding extended meetings in all the upalzilas to solve the intraparty conflicts across the country.

He hopes that the intraparty conflicts will be resolved by next three months.

‘The conflicts in big parties are common as Awami League is the biggest political party. They [AL leaders and activists] have become competitors to one another after contesting in the national polls,’ he added.

Several AL central working committee leaders also expect that although the main opposition BNP had already announced not to take part in the election, many BNP grassroots leaders may take part in the upazila elections, defying the party’s high-command decision.

When asked whether AL’s retreat regarding participation in upazila election with party symbols is part of its strategic decision to divide BNP at the grassroots level, AL joint secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim said that there were many reasons behind the decision, including restoring unity among AL party leaders and creating opportunities for popular BNP and other parties’ leaders to take part in the election as independents.

‘We have taken the decision for this time and applying it. If the moves do not give fruitful outcome, we will again give party nominations in the upazila elections in future,’ he added.

He said that they introduced party symbols in 2015, but now backtracks on it for the sake of party and greater interest of the people.

‘We want popular individuals from all professions to contest in the election,’ he added.

SHUJAN—Citizens for Good Governance secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar thinks retreating from party nominations have some positive sides in the upazila elections as many popular and professionals will get a chance to participate.

‘Awami League has taken such a move to show the local body polls participatory but it will help increase the quality and quantity of candidates,’ he said, adding, however, that the move may increase the intraparty clashes.

‘I don’t think that the move would help Awami League achieve its goal,’ he added.

From the Local Government Division, the EC has so far received a list of 485 upazilas, whose councils will end their tenure by March.

As such, all these upazilas are set to go for elections.

The EC announced to hold the first phase of upazila election in March before the month of Ramadan.

The AL formed government for the fourth consecutive term through the 12th parliamentary elections boycotted by major opposition parties, including the main opposition BNP, with low turnout of voters and ballot stuffing.

Meanwhile, the BNP has declared not to take part in the local body polls, alleging that no free and fair elections are possible under the incumbent government of Sheikh Hasina.