Staff Correspondent, Dhaka
In the seats of the three top leaders of Awami League’s partner 14-party alliance, the scene that was in the beginning, is changing.
In the constituencies of Hasanul Haque Inu, Rashed Khan Menon and Fazle Hossain Badsha, the pressure of independent candidates was strong in the beginning, but gradually they overcame it.
These three leaders of Jasad and Workers’ Party have made some progress in the fight for votes due to the fact that a large part of the local Awami League has come to the field in favor of boat.
Finally, Awami League leaders sided with Inu
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad) president Hasanul Haque Inu has become a three-time member of parliament with the boat symbol as a coalition candidate in Kushtia-2 (Bheramara and Mirpur) constituencies. However, he was extremely uncomfortable in the beginning because of the Awami League leaders who became independent candidates this time. But now many Awami League leaders are standing by the boat.
A total of seven candidates are contesting in this seat in the 12th parliamentary elections. Three of them are Awami League independents. Among them, Mirpur Upazila Awami League General Secretary and former Upazila Parishad Chairman Kamrul Arefin is in the polling field with the truck symbol. Local voters think that Kamrul will be the main competition with Inu in the election.
Talking to the leaders and activists, it is known that at the beginning of the election campaign, local leaders were not seen in favor of Inu, but now many have entered the field in favor of boat. Amirul Islam was a former General Secretary of Bheramara Awami League. He and his followers are working on behalf of the boat.
Along with this, local top leaders like Mirpur Municipal Awami League President and Municipal Mayor Enamul Haque, Upazila Vice President Rabiul Haque Ravi, Joint General Secretary Anwarul Malitha and Atahar Ali are also in favor of Inu.
Independent candidate backed Menon
The nomination for Barisal-2 (Ujirpur-Banaripara) seat was submitted by Rashed Khan Menon, president of Workers Party of Bangladesh at the last time.
In the beginning, he was very uncomfortable with the independent candidates of Awami League. At a long time of the campaign, he did not get the support of Awami League leaders. But that picture has changed.
Supporting him, an independent candidate, three times former member of Parliament and leader of Awami League Bir Muktijoddha Md. Monirul Islam Moni withdrew from the election.
On Thursday (January 4) afternoon, hundreds of thousands of leaders, workers and supporters took part in a mass rally at the Uzirpur High School ground in support of the boat. After the rally, he attended the courtyard meeting and handed over the flower boat symbol to Menon and formally announced his withdrawal from the election.
At that time, Monirul Islam Moni said, ‘Awami League President Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina and Bangabandhu’s nephew District Awami League President Abul Hasanat Abdullah have supported the candidate of Boat for the greater interest of the country and the party.’
He appealed to the people of Wazirpur-Banaripara along with all levels of leaders and workers of Awami League to win the boat symbol of development and progress on January 7 by unitedly stopping the fire terror of BNP-Jamaat and all domestic and foreign conspiracies.
President of Uzirpur Upazila Awami League, SM Jamal Hossain, was the chief guest in the courtyard meeting, President of the 14-party alliance candidate, Rashed Khan Menon. District Awami League general secretary and former member of parliament Advocate Talukder was the special guest. Vice President and Upazila Chairman of Uzirpur Upazila Awami League A. Majid Sikdar Bachchu, Vice President and former Upazila Chairman HM Hafizur Rahman Iqbal, General Secretary and Municipal Mayor Ghiyasuddin Bepari, Central Organizing Secretary of Volunteer League Abid Al Hasan and others also spoke.
Since then, the picture of that constituency has changed. A large part of the local Awami League leaders and activists got a new wind in Menon’s sails of boat.
Voting ground of Badsha has changed silently
Fazle Hossain Badsha, the general secretary of the Workers’ Party, who entered the field with the nomination of Boat in the Rajshahi-2 (City Corporation) seat, faced a tough challenge in the beginning.
A leader of Awami League came to the election field as an independent candidate. It is alleged that on the instructions of a central leader of Awami League and his family, the metropolitan Awami League left the boat symbol and entered the field in favor of an independent candidate.
Fazle Hussain Badshah tried several times to resolve the situation but failed to change. Finally, the situation started to change last week when a large part of the party, led by the general secretary of the metropolitan Awami League Dablu Sarkar, publicly came out in favor of the boat symbol with Badsha.
Last Thursday morning, a large part of the Jubo League, a part of the Swechchhasebak League also came to the field for the boat. Later that afternoon, an election public meeting was organized on behalf of Fazle Hossain Badshah at Sahebbazar Zero Point.
In that public meeting, supporters of independent candidates openly assaulted boat supporters, and the matter spread in the media. Since then, the situation in the polling field completely went in favor of Fazle Hussain Badsha.
Talking to Awami League’s grassroot leaders and workers of various progressive organizations, it is known that since 1973, almost 50 years the boat symbol has never seen the face of victory in Rajshahi-2 parliamentary elections. BNP was victorious here the whole time. In the 2008 elections, after 50 years, Fazle Hossain Badsha won this seat for the first time. Since then, he has been a Member of Parliament for three consecutive terms as a ‘boatman’.
After the end of military rule, Awami League’s boat candidate could not even well compete in the 1991 election. In that election Fazle Hossain Badsha as the candidate of the Communist League came third by getting 34 thousand 267 votes. In the 2002 city elections, Awami League formed an open alliance with RUCSU’s former VP Badsha, who fought against BNP leader Mizanur Rahman Minu.
Even though Badsha lost the election by a small margin, there were allegations that BNP had changed the result through rigging. After that, when the 14-party coalition was officially formed, in 2008, for the first time after 50 years, the boat won this seat by holding the hand of Badsha.
General Secretary of Rajshahi Metropolitan Awami League Dabul Sarkar said, ‘It is natural that there will be propaganda by BNP-Jamaat and their allies to stop the man who has shown us the face of victory in this constituency after 50 years. But the victory of the boat cannot be prevented with those propaganda.’
According to several sources of Awami League, due to the strong pressure of a central committee leader of the party and his family, a part of the party is in favor of an independent candidate, but most of them also do not want to vote against the boat.
A leader of the metropolitan Awami League who is also a physician said on condition of anonymity, “We have nothing to do. Because Rajshahi is a hostage in the hands of a particular family. Now many of us do not have the courage to openly oppose that family. Although the situation inside is different.”
He claimed that the voters will decide in favor of the boat candidate in this seat.