BNP crosses big hurdle

BNP has finalised single chairman candidates in 718 union parishads as of last night with the deadline for filing nomination for the upcoming UP polls expiring today.

The party has failed to reach a consensus with Jamaat-e-Islami, a key component of the BNP-led 20-party alliance, over selecting single candidates in the elections to the lowest tier of local government body, said insiders.

The BNP central election coordination committee to select the party's chairman candidates has instructed the grassroots leaders to reach a consensus to select a single candidate in each UP where Jamaat wants to contest.

“Of the total 739 union parishads going for elections on March 22, we could not find candidates in around five because of the ruling party's torture and intimidation to our men,” Mohammad Shajahan, chief of the BNP central election coordination committee, told The Daily Star last night.

Emran Saleh Prince, assistant publicity secretary of the party and another member of the coordination committee, said they have left around 15 UPs for the candidates of the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

Candidates in those UPs will be finalised at local level, he added.

The BNP-led alliance on February 19 announced that it would contest the UP polls under the banner of 20-party alliance.

The opposition alliance had earlier announced to contest the municipality polls in the same manner.

But the move failed as Jamaat men contested the polls independently from different municipalities along with the BNP candidates.

“The same is likely to happen in the Union Parishad elections as Jamaat did not give any list of their candidates to us,” a BNP central leader said wishing anonymity.

“In that case, we have asked our grassroots leaders to reach a consensus with Jamaat locally if possible. In case of failure, BNP candidates will also contest along with Jamaat men in several union parishads,” the BNP leader added.

The insiders said the party might give eight to 10 UP chairman posts to Jamaat and four to five to other components of the alliance.

“If there is any understanding, BNP candidates will withdraw their nomination from those union parishads,” Emran Saleh Prince told The Daily Star.

In a secretary general level meeting of the 20-party alliance held on February 19, no representatives from Jamaat showed up. This indicated that Jamaat was not pleased with the way BNP was selecting chairman candidates.

In that meeting, BNP acting secretary general Fakhrul Islam Alamgir called upon the alliance leaders to submit names of the prospective chairman candidates from their respective parties.

But only two components submitted lists of their candidates.