AL in full swing, BNP struggling

The 11th parliamentary election is just around the corner. Aspirant candidates started electioneering even before the announcement of the polls schedule. What is happening on the ground? In this division-wise series reports, The Daily Star looks into that. Today, we are running the first part, on Rajshahi Division.

With about two weeks left before the announcement of national polls schedule, the Awami League's election campaign in Rajshahi division goes on in full swing but the picture is quite the opposite for the BNP.

While the ruling AL absolutely dominates in all the eight districts of the division, the opposition party men conduct electioneering on a limited scale, mostly maintaining secrecy.

The campaigns of AL's aspirants are visible everywhere in the division's all 39 constituencies with billboards, posters and banners projecting the government's success stories as well as their eagerness to contest the polls.

They are holding programmes at district, upazila and union levels to drum up public support and draw attention of the party high-ups to win nomination for the battle of ballots.

For example, Pabna-2 lawmaker Khandakar Azizul Haque Arzu on September 15 arranged a public feast at his constituency in Bera upazila. It was joined by more than 10,000 people.

But for the BNP, electioneering is a tall order with its leaders and activists facing various obstacles -- cases, police action and attacks by pro-government activists.  The opposition men who stand accused in cases are not willing to take the risk of campaigning in public. 

Especially the cases, filed against them since 2013 following their violent street agitation demanding restoration of caretaker government system, appear to be their major setback.

Many were arrested in different cases. Some of them are still behind bars while some got released on bail, say leaders in the region.

According to the BNP headquarters, around 400 cases were filed by police against its grassroots leaders in the eight districts of the division from September 1 to October 10.

In those cases, around 8,000 BNP men and more than 13,000 unidentified people were named as accused. The grassroots fear that if detained, any party man could be shown arrested in any of the cases on charges like "violence", "obstructing police duties" or “subversive activities”.

However, there is also hope within the party that the situation might change after the announcement of polls schedule, likely in the first week of November. BNP leaders believe the party activists will then be able to campaign openly and work to regain supremacy in the region.

Rajshahi division was known as a traditional stronghold of BNP until the 2008 general election. Of the 39 seats, the party secured 26 in 1991 polls, 29 in 1996 and 33 in 2001 polls.

When the party faced debacle in the 2008 election in other parts of the country, this region offered it some comfort. It won only 32 seats, and 13 of those were in Rajshahi division.

The AL performed poorly in three consecutive elections since 1991 in the division. In 2008, it fared well there for the first time -- with a win in 23 constituencies.

In 2014, the BNP and its allies boycotted the polls and the AL candidates won 32 of the 39 seats in the division. The boycott and cases filed against its grassroots contributed to the party's losing supremacy over the region.

"Police and administration appear to be our main opponent. They are working in such a way that they seem to be more active than Awami League activists in repressing the opponents," said BNP's Central Organising Secretary Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu.

Isfa Khairul Haque Shimul, a BNP aspirant for Rajshahi-5 constituency, alleged, "Some people in civilian dress, introducing themselves as police, often ask me to leave the constituency immediately.”

About two thirds of the BNP nomination seekers throughout the division, are accused in different cases, party leaders claim.

Some BNP leaders are planning to have their wives contest the election if they fail to run for it due to legal complications.

For example, wives of former state minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku and deputy minister Ruhul Kuddus Talukder, both convicted in criminal cases, are preparing to take part in the elections to Sirajganj-2 and Natore-2 constituencies respectively, according to their family sources and party's local leaders.

The ruling AL men, however, are free from such worries. Its overwhelming win in the 2014 one-sided election came as blessing for its grassroots in the electoral areas.

[Based on reports sent by our correspondents Anwar Ali, Ahmed Humayun Kabir Topu, Rabiul Hasan, Bulbul Ahmed and Mostafa Sabuj in Rajshahi division]