BNP gets positive vibes from dists

Thirteen monitoring teams of BNP are “positively reporting” to Khaleda Zia that party men are gradually joining the municipality electioneering “braving fears of arrest and harassment,” sources said.

Talking to The Daily Star last night, a member of the BNP central monitoring team said senior and central leaders are visiting Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet divisions to boost up demoralised activists and ensure their active participation in the December 30 municipality polls.

“Led by acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, we as well as madam [BNP chief Khaleda Zia] have been in touch with the teams to get the election scenario. The teams were specially assigned to engage party men in the electioneering, especially those who remain inactive on different grounds and those who are still in hiding since the three-month-long anti-government movement,” the BNP leader added.

The BNP leader, who refused to reveal identity, also said, “We are mostly getting a happy picture from the seven divisions the monitoring teams are currently visiting.”

The monitoring teams have also been assigned to minimise internal disputes and sideline rebel candidates, who, according to the BNP central committee, might jeopardise party candidates' possibility to win in at least 20 municipalities, the leader added.

Without detailing on the issues, a BNP central leader visiting Dhaka said they are hopeful of addressing the sensitive matters in most of the districts before the polls.

On taking actions against the rebel mayoral candidates, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, adviser to Khaleda and team leader of a monitoring team visiting Rangpur Division, said they have issued a two days' ultimatum for rebel aspirants in Bogra, Sirajganj and Pabna to withdraw candidacy and work for party-nominated candidates.

“Otherwise, they will have to face actions including expulsion from the party for good,” reports our correspondent in Bogra quoting Tuku as saying.

Asked, Emran Saleh Prince, a member of the BNP central monitoring team, however said their mayoral candidates and supporters are still facing various obstacles including “threats” by police and ruling party men.

Sources at Khaleda's Gulshan office said the party chief and the acting secretary general are giving necessary instructions to the monitoring teams to overcome various shortcomings in the electioneering.

Three mayoral hopefuls in Panchagarh municipality raise their hands together on the stage at a local programme. Photo: Star

“We have taken the polls seriously and this time we will not leave the battle of ballots till our last breath as we believe people will cast their votes in our favour if they get a chance to exercise their franchise freely,” said a BNP senior leader working in the party's central monitoring team.

Khaleda has recently instructed a BNP group including a media personality to monitor the activities of the monitoring teams on a regular basis, said the sources.

She also warned that tough actions would be taken against those, who insisted her on selecting some mayoral candidates rejecting the recommendations of the grassroots leaders and activists, if their suggested candidates failed to win the polls.