¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has started distribution of leaflets calling on people to boycott the forthcoming upazila parishad elections beginning on May 8 and to be held in four phases in nearly 500 upazilas. It has also expelled more of its leaders who are participating in the polls disregarding the party orders.

Giving a call to boycott the local body elections as it did during the January 7 general elections, which voters had largely boycotted, the BNP has iterated that no free and fair election can be held under the Awami League government.

‘Large-scale leaflet distribution is now underway at the district headquarters and upazilas. The activity began end of April at small scale,’ BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· on Saturday.

Fair elections cannot be held under the current government and Election Commission, which has been proved to the people, he said, adding that in the past under the Awami League rule, BNP representatives won the elections in two-thirds or even more of the city corporations, municipalities and upazila parishads. 

‘But later they were removed from their posts on various excuses through a letter from the local government ministry,’ Rizvi said, and added that sometimes the excuse was court cases filed against the elected representatives. Eventually, the ruling party put their own people in those positions. 

He said that many mayors were sent to jail after they won the elections.

‘In that case, our responsibility is to be careful in advance, so that no one falls into this election trap the government has laid,’ he said.

BNP organising secretary Syed Emran Saleh Prince told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· that most voters stayed away from casting ballots in the January 7 general elections responding to the call of boycott. 

‘Responding to that call, 95 per cent of the voters of the country did not go to the polling stations. We will call for a boycott of the upcoming upazila elections as well,’ Syed Emran said.

Rizvi said that their leaflet describes in brief the massive irregularities and corruption of the Awami League government committed during its three terms in the last 15 years.

The leaflet also mentions the unbearable stress the spiralling of prices of essentials has caused to the farmers and labourers, he said.

It describes the crisis arising in all the areas of people’s lives due to the lack of voting rights and human rights under the Awami League rule, Rizvi said, adding that the government’s failure to control the dengue situation, the increase in the prices of gas and electricity, and failure to curb road accidents have also been focused.

The leaflet also reminds the public about the one-sided and rigged January 7 elections in which the Awami League nominees and dummy candidates took part in the farcical polls, he said.

Meanwhile, the BNP on Saturday expelled 61 more grassroots leaders for contesting the second phase of the upazila parishad elections, violating the party order.

A party statement signed by Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that a total of 26 chairmen candidates, 19 vice chairmen candidates and 16 reserved seat vice chairmen candidates for women were expelled.

Earlier, the party expelled 75 leaders for joining the first phase of the upazila polls.

Many BNP leaders have expressed interest in joining the third and fourth phases of upazila elections also.

Of the 61 leaders, 11 from Rangpur division, five from Rajshahi division, three from Barishal division, six from Dhaka division, two from Faridpur division, six from Mymensingh division, 15 from Sylhet division, five from Chattogram division, two from Cumilla division and six from Khulna division. Faridpur and Cumilla districts are the party’s two organisational divisions.

According to the Election Commission, the first phase of upazila polls at 148 upazilas will be held on May 8, while the second phase of the upazila polls at 161 upazila on May 21 and the third phase at 112 upazilas on May 29.