The number of local observers in the December 30 election decreased significantly as the NGO Affairs Bureau has not granted the No Objection Certificate to 15 Election Working Group members until yesterday.

Leaders of the Election Working Group (EWG), an alliance of 22 local organisations that monitor election, said at least three of the 15 who did not get the NOC have already said they would not monitor the election. The other 12 would have to reduce their number of observers drastically, as they would not get foreign funds.

In that case, the number of local observers will be around 17,100 although the Election Commission had approved 25,920 local observers of 81 organisations to monitor the election on Sunday.

“The NGO Affairs Bureau has given the NOC to seven of our members until Thursday,” EWG Chairman Abdul Awal told The Daily Star.

“Democracywatch, Coast Trust and Jagarani Chakra Foundation have informed us that they will not monitor the election,” he added.

He further said that the rest have taken the decision to reduce their number of local observers due to the lack of foreign funding.

Asked about the shortage of funds, Awal said development partners were losing interest in funding election observation missions across the world.

“This can be one reason,” he said.

Their priorities for Bangladesh are also changing. Many development partners are now channeling funds for the Rohingya refugees, he added.

Awal estimated that the seven organisations that got the NOC from the NGO Affairs Bureau would deploy around 5,700 local observers.

While the remaining twelve will deploy around 700 local observers even though they got the EC's approval for 9,300 observers, he added.

Executive Director of Jagarani Chakra Foundation Azadul Kabir and Assistant Director of Coast Trust Mostafa Kamal Akond said they were withdrawing from all election monitoring activities this time due to lack of funds and to avoid all debates and misunderstandings raised.

HT Imam, co-chairman of Awami League Election Steering Committee, on December 25, demanded that the Election Commission withdraw permission given to nine local election observer organisations, as most of the observers were “activists of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami”.

The organisations are: Democracywatch, Khan Foundation, Light House, Bangladesh Manobadhikar Somonnoy Parishad, Jagarani Chakra, Nobolok, Coast Trust, Shariatpur Development Society and Noakhali Rural Development Society.

EC Joint Secretary SM Asaduzzaman said they approved 25,920 local observers from 81 organisations to monitor the election.

These organisations applied for the approval of 34,671 local observers, according to EC sources.

Around 1.6 lakh domestic and 600 international observers monitored the 2008 election. About 2.18 lakh domestic and 225 international observers monitored the 2001 election.

However, the number of voters and polling stations are much higher this time than in 2008.

In the 2001 polls, 29,978 polling centres were set up for 7.50 crore voters. In 2008, there were 35,263 polling centres for 8.1 crore voters.

For Sunday's election, around 40,183 polling stations will be set up for more than 10.41 crore electorates.

Voters in Netrokona-4 had high hopes for a tough race as three women with graduate degrees were running for parliament from there.

But the situation on the ground was just like in any other constituency in Bangladesh. Ruling party men, in cases helped by law enforcers, were virtually controlling the electioneering and supporters of opposition candidates were panicking.

During 12 days of campaigning, 15 cases were filed with three police stations accusing over 1,000 BNP men of sabotage and subversive activities. Local BNP leaders claimed those were false cases.

Former BNP home minister Lutfuzzaman Babar's son Labib Zaman was also accused in three such cases.

Incumbent Rebecca Momin, wife of Awami League's former food minister Abdul Momin; and Tahmina Zaman, wife of Babar, are running in the constituency that had elected their husbands. The other female candidate Joly Talukder of Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) is a well-known workers' leader.

Voters claimed that they were expecting a tough fight in the haor-based constituency, consisting of Mohanganj, Madan, and Khaliajuri upazilas, that have been lagging behind in terms of development.

In the constituency about 30km away from Netrakona town, this correspondent saw vigorous electioneering by the ruling party men and hardly any campaign activity of the BNP.

The BNP's Mohanganj upazila office on Monday was found closed. Locals said the office had been closed for several days.

“There are problems,” was all that Sujan Mia, a tea seller nearby, agreed to say.

Some 100 metres away, the Awami League office was fully functional. SMA Ferdous, organising secretary of Mohanganj upazila AL, said their campaigning was going well.

“Every day, Rebecca Momin is visiting people in different areas and asking for votes. Besides, our area-based camps are also working.”

Another 23 kilometres away at Babar's house in Madan upazila, a few posters and banners of Tahmina Zaman were seen.

A marquee was set up and around 100 BNP leaders and activists were seen seated.

The BNP men said their electioneering has been on hold for the last seven days amid police harassment; they could only campaign in three unions.

“We are on the run. Almost all our leaders are accused and police are carrying out raids regularly,” said Mustafizur Rahman Titu, a BNP leader. Around 65 of their activists have been arrested since campaigning began, he added.

Nurul Alam, president of Madan upazila BNP, claimed they were on a road-show on December 15 when police suddenly prevented their rally and attacked them in Kaitail union.

“But three cases were filed against us the next day. Our leader's son Labib, who came from Dhaka only to take part in the campaign for his mother, was made the prime accused,” said Alam.

According to the case statement, police fired 61 shots and one gas canister on that day.

Alam said police and DB raided Babar's house on the night of December 16. “Is this a level-playing field?”

Of the 15 cases, nine were filed with Madan Police Station. The Daily Star obtained copies of the nine. Noteworthy, the cases filed on December 18, 22, and 23 all have the same text but the names, places, times and dates have been changed.

Refuting allegations, Ramijul Haque, officer-in-charge of Madan Police Station, said the cases were filed on valid grounds.

BNP men said they are confident of victory in the constituency, if a fair election is held. AL men said Rebecca's honesty and promises of development were their strengths.

The AL and BNP have fought hard for this seat since 1991. Babar won the race in 1991, while Momin won the next in 1996. Babar again won in 2001, while Momin's wife Rebecca won the polls in 2008. In 2014, Rebecca won uncontested.

National issues have been dominating the election campaigns of the Awami League and BNP mayor candidates in the Khulna and Gazipur city polls.

As the two cities are going to polls along party lines on May 15 for the first time, the four mayor hopefuls of the two major parties have been talking about the national issues to woo voters.

Besides, central leaders campaigning for their party colleagues are also brining many national issues to the fore.

The AL leaders are reminding voters about the BNP-Jamaat's alleged violence before and after the January 5, 2014 parliamentary polls and the “failure” of the incumbent BNP-backed mayors in carrying out development works in the two cities.

Highlighting the government's development projects, the AL candidates argue that voters should elect mayors from the ruling party to help the government continue the development works.

However, the BNP candidates have been telling voters that they should take the election as an opportunity to protest against the “government's misdeeds as it has destroyed all the democratic institutions in the country and indulged in corruption”.

The mayor hopefuls are trying to convince voters that victories in the polls will intensify the BNP's ongoing movement to free party Chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail. The former prime minister is now behind bars in a graft case.

However, election experts said the way the electioneering is taking place in Khulna and Gazipur cities, it seems that a national election is going to be held there. According to them, campaigns of councillor aspirants failed to attract voters' attention as the councillor polls are non-partisan.

AL mayoral candidate in Khulna Talukder Abdul Khaleque said carrying out development works locally was not possible without the support from the government.

“Rampal power plant, Mongla Port and other national development projects will surely have an impact on Khulna city. So it is very natural that national issues will dominate the electoral campaign here.”

He also said as the AL was in power, carrying out development works in Khulna city would be easy if the mayor was elected from the ruling party.

Mayor hopeful Nazrul Islam Monju of BNP said he was stressing that people should cast their votes to “get back their voting rights”. “In our polls campaign, we are focusing on Khaleda Zia's release and the local issues. People are just waiting for a chance to show no-confidence in the government and Khulna city election will bring them one such chance.”

Hasan Uddin Sarker, mayoral candidate of BNP in Gazipur, said, “I am urging voters to cast their votes for an experienced and tested candidate. As the election is being held along party lines, I am focusing on the government's misdeeds and the local issues.”

Local government expert Tofail Ahmed said a mayor should be elected from the elected councillors to strengthen the local government. Only then the local issues will get priority during polls campaigns.

As the parliamentary election is only a few months away, it is quite normal that the ruling party candidates will try to get advantage of the government's major development projects and the opposition party will try to focus on the government's failures, he added.

Former election commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Shakhawat Hossain said the central leaders of the political parties were picking the mayor candidates and also taking part in the polls campaigns.

“When the central leaders join the electioneering, they focus more on national issues. The party candidates and their supporters have nothing to do but follow the tone set by the central leaders,” he told The Daily Star.

The central leaders' involvement in the process should be stopped to make an election to a local government body a local election in true sense, he observed.