single candidate in Municipal polls

�AL to face enemy within�

Party may announce list of mayor candidates today

The ruling Awami League (AL) is facing serious difficulties in nominating single candidates for the upcoming municipality elections scheduled for December 30. Although the party high-ups held a marathon meeting to select single candidates from the party for mayoral posts, many grassroots leaders have already decided to contest the polls independently, if they do not get party tickets, party insiders said. AL president Sheikh Hasina, also the prime minister, chaired the almost 6-hour meeting of the party’s nomination board at her official residence Gana Bhaban that ended around 11:30pm. “We received single-candidate recommendations for only 30 per cent of the total mayoral seats. For the rest, local leaders have sent in recommendations for one more candidates,” Ashim Kumar Ukil, deputy publicity secretary of the party, told The Independent after the meeting. Another source present at the meeting said although it was very difficult to select single candidate from each municipality, the party chief has almost finalised it.
Meeting sources said the final list might be announced at a media briefing today. AL Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam said, “We have almost completed the task. Hopefully, the list of mayoral candidates will be announced at a briefing Tuesday evening.” According to sources, the AL high command had instructed local lawmakers, and presidents and secretaries of the party’s district, thana and pourasabha (municipality) levels to send in the names of single aspirants by 4pm yesterday. However, most of the leaders failed to do so. They sent names of at least two or more candidates to the central party command from each municipality, meeting sources said. Juba League assistant secretary Mohammd Rafiqul Islam submitted a list of 50 aspiring candidates for the polls.
Talking to The Independent at Gana Bhaban, AL organising secretary Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan, MP, said, “We have been facing difficulties in selecting single candidates as many AL leaders want to contest the polls because the party is now in power.”
“Even many local leaders have not bought nomination forms as they know the numbers of aspirants may increase and they are now preparing for contesting the polls independently,” he said. He also said that such problems have already surfaced in his own constituency. Bipul Hawlader, a local AL leader and an aspirant for Kalapara in Patuakhali, said local lawmaker Mahbubur Rahman has selected his own candidates for polls without informing the local leaders.
“Therefore, we have sent a separate list to the party chief,” he told this correspondent over phone.

single candidate in Municipal polls

�AL to face enemy within�

Party may announce list of mayor candidates today

The ruling Awami League (AL) is facing serious difficulties in nominating single candidates for the upcoming municipality elections scheduled for December 30. Although the party high-ups held a marathon meeting to select single candidates from the party for mayoral posts, many grassroots leaders have already decided to contest the polls independently, if they do not get party tickets, party insiders said. AL president Sheikh Hasina, also the prime minister, chaired the almost 6-hour meeting of the partys nomination board at her official residence Gana Bhaban that ended around 11:30pm. We received single-candidate recommendations for only 30 per cent of the total mayoral seats. For the rest, local leaders have sent in recommendations for one more candidates, Ashim Kumar Ukil, deputy publicity secretary of the party, told The Independent after the meeting. Another source present at the meeting said although it was very difficult to select single candidate from each municipality, the party chief has almost finalised it. Meeting sources said the final list might be announced at a media briefing today. AL Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam said, We have almost completed the task. Hopefully, the list of mayoral candidates will be announced at a briefing Tuesday evening. According to sources, the AL high command had instructed local lawmakers, and presidents and secretaries of the partys district, thana and pourasabha (municipality) levels to send in the names of single aspirants by 4pm yesterday. However, most of the leaders failed to do so. They sent names of at least two or more candidates to the central party command from each municipality, meeting sources said. Juba League assistant secretary Mohammd Rafiqul Islam submitted a list of 50 aspiring candidates for the polls. Talking to The Independent at Gana Bhaban, AL organising secretary Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan, MP, said, We have been facing difficulties in selecting single candidates as many AL leaders want to contest the polls because the party is now in power. Even many local leaders have not bought nomination forms as they know the numbers of aspirants may increase and they are now preparing for contesting the polls independently, he said. He also said that such problems have already surfaced in his own constituency. Bipul Hawlader, a local AL leader and an aspirant for Kalapara in Patuakhali, said local lawmaker Mahbubur Rahman has selected his own candidates for polls without informing the local leaders. Therefore, we have sent a separate list to the party chief, he told this correspondent over phone.