Dhaka: Upazila Parishad elections will start from the second week of next May. The ruling Awami League has taken steps to ensure that ministers and MPs do not interfere in the local government elections.
For this reason, relatives of ministers and party MPs have been ordered to withdraw from contesting in the elections. But this instruction could not be executed. Although some candidates withdrew, many relatives of ministers and MPs remained in the election. Therefore, Awami League is talking about organizational measures against those concerned to control the situation to some extent.
In this year’s upazila election, Awami League kept it open for everyone without nominating candidates from the party. Due to this, many local level leaders stood in the election. Among them are relatives and close relatives of ministers and members of parliament (MPs) of the party. As they are candidates, doubts have been created about free, fair and impartial elections within Awami League. There are even fears of groupings and conflicts around the elections.
Several sources of Awami League say that there is a fear of intervention of those ministers-MPs to influence the election in favor of the candidates in the places where the relatives of the ministers-MPs and their close ones have been candidates. In addition to hindering transparent elections, there is also the danger of conflicts. Taking this situation into consideration, the party instructed the relatives of the minister-MP to withdraw their candidature. But most of the candidates ignored this instruction and remained in the election. In this situation, the party’s policy-makers are thinking of taking organizational action against those concerned, sources said. The organizational system was also mentioned in the speech of the general secretary of the party.
The sources also said that the party’s executive council meeting will decide on what kind of action will be taken and who will be taken against for disobeying the party’s instructions. Relatives of ministers-MPs who remain in the election field ignoring the instructions will face organizational punishment if they are in any party position. Besides, the party meeting will also decide on what action will be taken against the ministers-MPs if specific information-proof of election interference is found. A meeting of the Awami League Executive Parliament has been called on April 30.
However, despite all these efforts, the sources say that the policy-makers of Awami League are not sure about a completely interference-free election.
When asked about this, Awami League’s organizing secretary SM Kamal Hossain told Banglanews that organizational measures have been taken (if the relatives of ministers and MPs are not candidates). The general secretary of our party has made this clear. What the general secretary said is the party’s position. The issues may be discussed in the meeting of the executive parliament of the party on April 30.
In a press conference on Wednesday (April 24), Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said that the party has the opportunity to take organizational measures if someone disobeys the instructions. Decision will be taken in due course. There is a matter of disciplinary action in our team. Disciplinary action is taken at different times by different tactics depending on the actions of the team. The decision of the party regarding those who will not withdraw at the final stage will be taken in time.
Voting for the first phase of the upazila parishad elections to be held in four phases will be held on May 8. Awami League ordered the withdrawal of candidacy of relatives of ministers and MPs before the deadline for withdrawal of nominations in this election. But they continued to compete in the election by ignoring that order.
Bangladesh Time: 2117 hours, April 24, 2024
SK/HA/
