The 20-party coalition led by the BNP has agreed to back and campaign for single candidates for the Jul 30 city corporation elections in Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barisal.
Leaders of the coalition members met at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office on Wednesday, following by a media call where the announcement was made.
But BNP’s key ally Jamaat-e-Islami has floated a candidate in Sylhet. And the BNP has already announced that the incumbent mayor has got the ticket for the election.
Several people, who attended Wednesday’s meeting, confirmed that Jamaat is reluctant to pull out its mayoral candidate in Sylhet.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir concern over the issue in the meeting saying it might create misunderstandings in future, according to people familiar with the matter.
Mirza Fakhrul, however, declined to comment. “No comments from me on this matter now,” he told Bangla Tribune.
Sources confirmed that Mirza Fakhrul told Wednesday’s meeting that Jamaat is not ready to withdraw its candidate even on BNP acting chief Tarique Rahman’s request to one of its central leaders during a phone call the previous day. He, however, did not say who Tarique spoke with.
Despite persuading Jamaat being one of the agendas of the meeting, most of the coalition leaders refrained from commenting on the issue.
“Andaleeve Rahman Partho and I refrained from commenting. Syed Ibrahim, however, spoke on the matter. There’s no use of requesting Jamaat as any decision they make comes through their own process within the party,” a chief of one of the coalition members told Bangla Tribune, but asked not to be named.
Partho, the chairman of BJP, however, told Bangla Tribune, that he requested Jamaat to withdraw its candidate. “Jamaat representative Abdul Halim told us they are on talks with the BNP secretary general on the issue.”
Jamaat’s Executive Council leader Abdul Halim represented the party in Wednesday’s meeting, where he reportedly made it clear that they are not backing off.
Speaking to Bangla Tribune after the meeting, Halim said, “Coalition members have requested us to pull out our candidates. I said we will let them know after discussing it in the party forum.
“The BNP has its candidate as well us. I don’t see any problem, but there is still time to withdraw nominations, let’s see what happens.”
BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul echoed while briefing the media after the meeting. “The deadline for withdrawing nomination is yet to end. We have said that the coalition will campaign for single. You will be informed once a decision on the Jammat candidate issue made. But the 20-party Alliance has backed BNP’s candidate for Sylhet.”
A senior Jamaat leader, however, made it clear while speaking to Bangla Tribune on Wednesday that they are not pulling out.
“There’s no option now. Our candidate has been cleared by the officials and he has started public relation efforts,” said Nayebe Amir Mia Golam Parwar.
“Mirza Fakhrul has told the meeting about contesting the polls together,” the former MP said before adding: “... but did not say who that candidate is.”
Asked if the BNP announces its candidate as the one for the alliance, he said, “Then we will maintain that he’s BNP’s candidate not for the coalition as we have a candidate and we are a member of the alliance.”
Senior Jamaat leader Parwar said he ‘has no knowledge’ on BNP acting chief Tarique Rahman’s phone call.
According to members of the 20-party Alliance, the BNP and Jamaat have failed to reach to an understanding over Sylhet city polls and Wednesday’s meeting was meant to ‘formally’ inform it.