AL, BNP in mire over single candidate for each ward
Selecting a single councillor candidate for each ward has become a tough job for both Awami League and BNP, and the goal is unlikely to be achieved, with several aspirants vying for the post in the April 28 election to Chittagong City Corporation (CCC).
In a survey in 33 wards out of the total 41, The Daily Star has confirmed that there is more than one candidate from AL in 29 wards, while in each of 19 wards, several pro-BNP aspirants are in the race. This has been a cause of worry for both parties.
A total of 288 aspirants from all parties have applied against the total 41 councillor posts.
Preferring anonymity, an AL leader said experiences showed that when more than one candidates vied for the councillor post, they got busy seeking votes for themselves and "did not concentrate" on campaigning for the party-backed mayoral challenger.
He added that if there were several candidates in one ward from AL, it would be harder for them to win while the opposition would get an edge.
Badiul Alam, joint general secretary of Chittagong city unit AL, said several candidates would definitely threaten the prospect of victory of the party-backed contestants.
“It is very tough to maintain the discipline of a party in power,” he said. “So far I know we have single candidates in two to three wards.”
However, President of Chittagong city unit AL ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury said they were trying to select one candidate for every ward.
“We have still some days in hand till April 9 [the last date for withdrawal of candidacy], and we are trying to convince them in a bid to get a single candidate,” he said.
Leaders of both parties said they would not go tough if the aspirants, who would be asked to back out, did not oblige.
BNP Vice Chairman Abdullah Al Noman said they had instructed the local leaders in every ward to choose one from themselves. “Many of them have obliged and many have not,” he said. “We are not strict to them. In fact we are paying more concentration to the mayoral post although the post of councillor is no less important.”
He added, “I am not still confirmed in how many wards we have single candidates.”
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