AL Election Manifesto: Focus on dev, future plans

With a "forward-looking" vision focusing mainly on the young generation, the ruling Awami League is likely to unveil its election manifesto either on December 12 or 13.

AL President Sheikh Hasina will roll out the manifesto at a press conference, a senior leader of the party told The Daily Star yesterday seeking anonymity.

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The party manifesto will be “forward-looking” incorporating the main ideas of the Perspective Plan (2021-2041) and Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, the senior leader pointed out.

A big portion of the manifesto will include the achievements of the AL and the party-led government in the last 10 years, said the senior leader involved in drafting the manifesto.

"In the 2008 election, we said what we would do if we were voted to power. This time, we are also focusing on what we did in the last 10 years ....”

The leader further said the sub-committee tasked with drafting the manifesto handed over the draft to the party chief four days ago.

It is one of the 14 sub-committees of the AL election coordination committee.

"We are waiting for the party chief's feedback ... The manifesto contains information on issues, including development activities, Sustainable Development Goals and Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100," Abdur Razzaque, convener of the sub-committee on election manifesto, told The Daily Star.

The manifesto will cover around 30 topics, including foreign policy, women and children affairs, gender equality, power and energy, growth rate, business, sports and climate change.

"We kept five to six slogans in the manifesto. Our party chief will decide on it," said Razzaque.

Meanwhile, AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader said the party will unveil its election manifesto by December 15.

It will give priority to development programmes and also plans to transform villages into townships, he said.

PUBLICITY STRATEGY

The party plans to use print, online and electronic mediums to reach the voters. It will also organise cultural and social programmes targeting the youth, said Hasan Mahmud, convener of the AL publicity sub-committee.

Each party candidate will be provided with four CDs. The first CD contains a documentary on the government and the second one five patriotic songs. The third one is on development activities, and the last one on acts of violence committed by the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami, he said.

The AL leader also mentioned that they prepared some television commercials to be aired on different TV channels during the election campaigns.

Ten types of posters have also been designed for the party candidates, he said.

Yesterday, HT Imam, chief of the AL election coordination committee, held a meeting at party president's Dhanmondi office with the conveners and member-secretaries of all 14 sub-committees to get the latest update on their activities.

The committee will hold its next meeting tomorrow to finalise the party's election strategy.

Several AL leaders said they have already completed the groundwork for training polling agents. The training is likely to start in all 300 constituencies on December 12.