The BNP leadership has long been positive about participating in the city corporation elections, contrary to their stance on the national polls and going to Parliament.
The opposition party’s acting chief Tarique Rahman reportedly ordered the party leadership to start preparations to pick mayoral candidates for the city elections.
A reliable BNP source said that the party might also give its mandate to a leftist party candidate if they can negotiate terms, in which case they will take a little longer to make the pick.
In 2015, Tabith Awal was BNP’s choice for Dhaka North, Mirza Abbas for Dhaka South and Manzur Alam for Chattogram City Corporation.
BNP Special Secretary Asaduzzaman Ripon, former lawmaker Major Akhtaruzzaman, BNP Assistant Publicity Secretary Shakil Wahed and the party’s Dhaka Metropolitan Nort unit President MA Qayum also sought a BNP ticket that year.
According to the party’s top policymaking forum National Standing Committee, other than Awal, the other two nominations may change.
They said that former Dhaka South mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka’s son Ishraq Hossain and Chattogram’s Dr Shahdat Hossain have a good chance of getting the party ticket this time. Several leaders close to them told Bangla Tribune that Tarique Rahman has asked them to start primary work but nothing is yet final.
As a matter of fact, Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel is also reportedly being considered for Dhaka South.
A standing committee member, however, confirmed, “Tabith Awal will be picked for DSCC.”
“The party moved away from its stand of not taking part in the polls and contested the Bogura-6 by-polls where our candidate won by a majority,” said Ishraq Hossain.
“If the party sees me worthy of a nomination, I’m ready,” he added.
BNP’s Dhaka Metropolitan South unit General Secretary Kazi Abul Bashar told Bangla Tribune that they will support whoever the party nominates.
“If the government gives people the opportunity to vote then they will, just the way they did during the Bogura-6 by-polls,” he said.
According several leaders in the party’s top policymaking forum, during a meeting on Jan 24, BNP decided to back out of all polls under the current administration.
Based on that decision, BNP neither took part in the Upazila Council Polls nor did they support any contender from the party who decided to contest independently.
“From now on BNP will not take part in any election under the incumbent government. Not DNCC, not upazila polls,” Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir had told the media.
Although Tarique Rahman reportedly cleared the candidates to contest, the BNP leaders declined to comment on the matter.
“It’s not yet time to take a decision about the city corporation polls,” said Standing Committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and added, “There’s still time.”
BNP Vice Chairman Barkatullah Bulu echoed and said, “The candidates will be picked when its time.”
Meanwhile, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Joint Secretary General Shahdat Hossain is considering running for mayor during the upcoming city polls.
“I’m thinking of running for Dhaka South,” he said and added that he will seek mandate from the 20-party-alliance, Jatiya Oikya Front and newly floated political forum Jayiya Mukti Mancha.
BNP’s ally Jamaat-e-Islami is yet to make any decision on whether to contest the polls. Although, the party’s Dhaka Metropolitan north unit chief Selim Uddin wanted to contest during the last elections, he backed out in the last moment.
The party then announced on Feb 12 that like their ally BNP, they wouldn’t be participating in any more elections under the current regime.
Leftist and Islamist parties likely to float old candidates
Several leftist and Islamist parties are likely to float old candidates in these the three city corporation polls.
Ganashanghati Andolan chief Zonayed Saki contested the 2015 DSCC polls but boycotted it midway alleging vote rigging.
“People are not interested in elections anymore because the government stripped them of their voting rights on Dec 30,” said Saki.
Saying that it’s not yet final whether he will contest, he added, “There’s still time. Nothing is unlikely.”
Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) Presidium member Abdullah Al Kafi Ratan, who also contested the DSCC polls said that the party was positive about contesting this time as well.
“It’s yet to be decided how we will contest. We have an alliance but nothing has been finalised,” he said.
Islami Andolan Bangladesh is also positive about contesting the upcoming mayoral polls and are also mulling over candidates.
The party’s Dhaka Metropolitan South unit chief Mowlana Sheikh Fazle Bari Masud is being considered for Dhaka North while its Women and Family Welfare Secretary Abdur Rahman for south.
Islami Andolan Publicity Secretary Mowlana Ahmed Qayum said that the candidates will be officially announced once the polls schedule is announced.
The other Islamist parties are yet to finalise their decision on the matter.