Organisational weaknesses exposed again

The BNP’s organisational weaknesses were exposed once again as the party leaders and activists failed to show up at the polling centres on Saturday, said party insiders.

During the Dhaka city polls campaign, party leaders and activists were on the streets, but they were hardly visible on election day, they added.

BNP’s south and north mayor candidates lost to their Awami League rivals. 

BNP leaders said the main reason behind the poor show was the party being disorganised for a long time in Dhaka. Besides, many leaders and activists were facing cases, many were fearing “arrest”, and many were “intimidated” by law enforcers and ruling party men.

“I can take the risk but would the party stand by me when I will be put behind bars and face cases? Currently, I am facing around a dozen cases, but the party rarely stands by me,” said a ward-level BNP leader.

Polling agents or supporters of BNP candidates were hardly seen on election day though the party could assemble a good number of leaders and activists in the run-up to the elections. 

“Dhaka city BNP leaders failed again and again to show their strength because the party could not motivate its city leaders. If the city’s top leaders turn up at the polling centres, their followers would certainly appear and the situation would be different,” said a vice-chairman of the party, wishing not to be named.

The BNP has been in a tight spot after its humiliating defeat in the 2018 national polls. Even before that the grassroots leaders repeatedly asked the party’s top leadership to strengthen the Dhaka city BNP but it could not. 

“Our candidates came under attack several times, houses of our leaders and activists were raided before the election, and our polling agents were detained. When the agents went to the polling centres, they were driven out by the ruling party men,” BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told The Daily Star yesterday.

He also blamed the Election Commission for failing to ensure a congenial atmosphere so that voters could vote without any fear. 

Media reports say how aggressive the ruling party men were and how inactive the EC was, he added.

Ruling party leaders announced that they would guard the polling centres on election day, but the BNP could not devise its strategy to ensure the presence of its leaders and activists at the polling stations. Even they could not encourage the voters to vote, said party insiders.

Party sources said some BNP agents went to the polling stations, but they could not stay there. In most cases, they left the centres silently.

On Saturday, Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda said polling agents should have the strength to stay put at polling centres.

“The agents must have the strength to persist … They shouldn’t leave whenever anyone asks,” the CEC said after a reporter drew his attention to allegations that polling agents of BNP mayor candidates were being driven out of centres.

BNP leaders said if the EC was strong, then the situation would have been different. The EC completely failed to hold a free and fair election, they said.

“By making such comments, the EC shows how subservient the commission is to the government,” Fakhrul said. 

BNP leaders said through this election, it was proved once again that a free and fair election was not possible under this government. The electronic voting machine is a tool of “vote rigging”, they alleged.

Some party leaders also raised question why it rejected the polls results in the middle of vote count and called for a strike suddenly.

Asked about this, Fakhrul said, “Usually in these cases, decisions come promptly.” 

Some senior leaders said the party called for the hartal to boost up confidence of its leaders and activists. They added that the hartal was enforced yesterday as SSC exams begin today.

The party announced that it would stage demonstrations at every ward in Dhaka city tomorrow, demanding cancellation of polls results. 

The BNP mayor candidates would give their formal reactions over the election results on the day.