Parties push hard for single runner

In a bid to ensure single councillor candidate in each ward of the three city corporations going to polls on April 28, the Awami League has made many grassroots leaders quit the race on the last day of nomination withdrawal yesterday.

The BNP, on the other hand, used persuasion rather than force to make sure its rebels step aside.

Over the past few days, the ruling party compelled more than 200 councillor hopefuls in the two Dhaka city corporations to sign nomination withdrawal forms and instructed them to submit those to the Election Commission, insiders said.

However, in many wards AL dissidents are still in the race, ignoring party decision.

Before expiry of the deadline for withdrawing nomination, the BNP managed to ensure single councillor candidate in around 50 of the 93 wards in Dhaka north and Dhaka south city corporations, said a party leader.

The party could not do the same for the remaining wards for a lack of time and manpower, as many of its leaders and workers are either in jail or on the run, the leader added, asking not to be named.

After consulting party chief Khaleda Zia, BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan yesterday finalised the list of 50 candidates and asked the others to pull out.

In Chittagong, AL lawmakers MA Latif and Shamsul Hoque along with one of their personal secretaries went to the Returning Officer's office around 4:20pm yesterday with some applications for nomination withdrawal.

Three pro-AL councillor candidates were waiting outside the RO's room at the time.

Talking to The Daily Star, they said they were worried that the MPs might submit their withdrawal applications although they wished to run.

Asked, Latif said they only accompanied some party men, who went there to withdraw their candidacies.

He denied that the party coerced anyone into quitting the race. He claimed the party "requested" the rebels to withdraw and many did. There are 10 wards in his constituency and the party managed to ensure single candidate in seven of those.

Returning Officer Abdul Baten said the two MPs came to him to examine some applications of withdrawal, saying that the candidates were waiting outside.

The BNP has managed to field single candidate in more than 30 of the 41 wards in the port city. It shared 10 councillor posts with its ally Jamaat.

City BNP President Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said they did not impose their decisions on the ward leaders. Rather, the councillor candidates were nominated by the ward units.

AGGRIEVED AL MEN

After withdrawing candidacies, many councillor aspirants expressed their grievances, saying they were "compelled" to quit the race.

"There is no scope for multiple Awami League candidates to run. So we asked all the rebels to withdraw and most of them have followed our directives," said AL leader Abdur Razzak.

He added if anyone wanted to do politics with the AL, he must follow party instructions.

'I'M THE BEST'

This correspondent spoke with at least 15 councillor aspirants from the AL, who withdrew candidacy, at the office of the returning officer of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) at Agargaon.

They claimed none of them withdrew willingly and that the party forced them to do so.

Syed Ahammad Pine, joint general secretary of AL's Mohammadpur thana unit and a councillor aspirant of ward 31, said he quit the race following instructions of Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya and Food Minister Qamrul Islam.

This newspaper could not verify his claim.

"Though I've pulled out, I think I'm the best candidate in this ward," he said.

MA Qayyum, general secretary of ward 22 under DNCC and a councillor aspirant, said he was compelled to withdraw nomination as the party extended support to another aspirant.

In Chittagong, Jahir Ahmad Chowdhury, a councillor candidate from ward-30, alleged some senior AL leaders, including three from central committee, and local lawmakers Latif and Shamsul had forced him and several others to sign some papers to quit.

Enamul Hoque and Abdul Barek, pro-AL candidates in ward-37 and ward-40, made the same allegation.

However, all the three are still in the race.

At a meeting at Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday, they were allegedly forced to sign a paper that read they would "pull out and abide by the party decision".

Latif admitted that the meeting and the signing took place, but claimed the party did not create pressure on anyone. "We just tried to convince them."

MAYORAL ASPIRANTS QUIT

Seven mayor aspirants, including BNP leader Abdus Salam, former AL lawmaker Sarah Begum Kabari and sacked Jatiya Party chief's adviser Bobby Hajjaj quit the race for Dhaka city polls yesterday.

After their withdrawal, 36 mayor hopefuls are now in the race -- 16 in Dhaka north and 20 in Dhaka south.

Actress Kabari, who had submitted nomination papers to run in Dhaka north, told reporters that she quit on instructions of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Bobby Hajjaj, who too had intended to run in Dhaka north, withdrew his nomination, claiming he lost his faith that the Election Commission could hold a free and fair election.

"The election commission has failed to do anything visible to earn trust. My supporters are facing difficulties ... it's a pressure on me. That's why I've decided to quit the race," he told a press conference at his Banani office yesterday.