BNP goes for all-out boycott of five city polls

The BNP will go tough on its leaders and activists who will run for councillor in the city polls and those who will patronise them.

Though the councillor election is non-partisan in nature, some grassroots leaders, especially the current councillors, want to contest the polls, causing discomfort for the party.

This is the first time that the party is taking a hardline on joining councillor polls. It has already announced the decision to boycott the upcoming mayoral elections to five city corporations.

"It's a decision. Nobody is allowed to contest the polls. We are in a movement. When the regime's legitimacy is in question, how can we join the polls? So none is allowed to run the polls," Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, standing committee member of the party, told The Daily Star.

Soon after the announcement of the election schedule, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told journalists that they would not walk into any trap this time by joining any polls.

But even after this stance of the party, some leaders showed interest in running the polls, "either under pressure or willingly", party sources say.

According to the Election Commission, the last date of nomination submission for Gazipur City Corporation polls is April 27 (today), Khulna and Barishal May 16 and Rajshahi and Sylhet May 23.

The election in Gazipur will be held on May 25, Khulna and Barishal on June 12, while Rajshahi and Sylhet on June 21.

Insiders say the BNP standing committee, the highest policy-making body of the party, decided to start counselling the potential candidates to keep them away from the electoral process.

The committee sat on Tuesday night to discuss the city polls when party's acting chairman Tarique Rahman joined virtually from London.

Meeting sources said the party reaffirmed that it wouldn't join the city polls and if anyone violates the party decision, organisational steps will be taken against them.

The meeting discussed the names that surfaced in the media as aspirants though none of them communicated with the party about contesting the polls.

The standing committee believes former lawmaker Nazrul Islam Manjur of Khulna, ex-Barishal mayor Mujibur Rahman Sarwar and former Rajshahi mayor Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul will not contest the polls, said meeting sources.

None from Gazipur communicated with the party to contest the polls but the central leaders are sceptical about Sylhet Mayor Ariful Huq Chowdhury. The party will watch what move Arif makes in the coming days.

Arif at a recent programme in London said he would not join the polls but on return, he said he has a surprise for all. The mayor is yet to disclose that.

"If anyone wants to be a mayoral or councillor candidate, the top leadership will first try to make him understand that the party is in a movement. If the person stands in the polls, the movement will be hampered," said a standing committee member, wishing not to be named.

The top brass will also remind the aspirants of what happened to those who contested elections earlier defying party orders.

"If anyone still contests the polls, disciplinary action will be taken. If party leaders holding any portfolio encourages the aspirants to contest the polls, action would be taken against them too."

Party sources said expulsion is the toughest action and the top leaders would try to avoid it as such a step may also adversely impact the ongoing movement.

The BNP and like-minded political parties have been on the streets since December 24 last year to realise their 10-point demand, including resignation of the government and election under a nonpartisan caretaker government.

The party has not contested any election under the government since March 2021.

In 2022, going beyond the party decision, BNP leaders Taimur Alam Khandaker and Monirul Haque Sakku contested the last polls to Narayanganj and Cumilla city corporations as independents and both lost. The party expelled them.

In 2018, the Awami League candidates won four of these mayoral posts while the BNP nominee bagged one.

The opposition party's candidates won all five mayoral polls in those cities in 2013.