AL, BNP stalwarts pad up to canvass for party candidate

Stalwarts from both the ruling Awami League (AL) and the Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are preparing to campaign in favour of their respective candidates for the mayoral battle in Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) poll, slated to be held on December 22. The nomination papers of both the AL and BNP candidates—outgoing mayor Selina Hayat Ivy and Sakhawat Hossain Khan—were found valid after scrutiny of nominations of all the candidates.
Both the parties are taking the election seriously as it is a prestige fight for the AL to regain the mayoral prize and the BNP to establish its supremacy in the port city of Narayanganj, some 12km south of Dhaka.
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and senior party leaders, including secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, and senior leaders of the ruling party who are not Members of Parliament (MPs), are likely to take part in the electoral campaign, which formally begins on December 5.
The BNP chairperson is expected to buttress the election campaign for the party’s mayoral candidate for the NCC, the poll to which is being held towards the end of the five-year-long tenure of the Election Commission (EC).  
“Madam (Khaleda Zia) is likely to visit Narayanganj in mid-December to address some campaign rallies in the city in favour of party candidate Sakhawat Hossain Khan,” said a highly-placed source.
The party high command is taking the NCC poll seriously and wants to see how the EC behaves before its tenure ends (in February next year), said the source.
Talking to The Independent, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said they have taken the NCC poll seriously. “Our

candidate will sweep the mayoral poll if the election takes place in a free and fair manner,” he said. The BNP leader said they want the EC to create a level playing field in Narayanganj. “We have already demanded deployment of the army during the polls,” he added.
Asked whether Khaleda Zia would take part in the election campaign in Narayanganj, he said no decision in this respect has been taken yet.
BNP standing committee member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain termed the NCC poll as the “last test case” both for the government and the incumbent EC as it is being held at the fag of its tenure.
“We are taking part in the polls to test how the government and the EC behave after what they did earlier in the name of elections, and before the commission’s members demit office,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ruling party wants to see a free, fair and competitive election in Narayanganj so that its arch rival, the BNP, is not able to raise any questions about the poll.
The AL has already nominated a single candidate and instructed the rebel leaders of the local AL unit to work for the candidate selected by the party. This is to ensure that its candidate secures victory in the port city elections. Party insiders said this time the AL top brass has nominated popular district AL leader and former NCC mayor Selina Hayat Ivy to make the election competitive so that no one is able to make the polls controversial by levelling allegations.
To secure victory in the NCC poll, party president and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasian on Tuesday held a meeting with party candidate Selina Hayat Ivy and another veteran district leader, Shamim Osman, at her official residence Gono Bhaban to resolve the long-standing differences between them.
After the meeting, party chief Sheikh Hasina directed Shamim Osman and other Narayanganj district leaders to obey party instructions if they want to do politics under the AL and to work for the party-backed candidate in the NCC poll to ensure her victory.
Talking to this correspondent, AL presidium member Lt. Col. (retd) Mohammad Faruk Khan said, “Yes, we are planning to send our central leaders, who are not MPs, to join the election campaign of party-nominated candidate Ivy in a bid to ensure her victory in the NCC poll.” The candidate’s arch rival, Shamim Osman, told this correspondent that he would join the election campaign in favour of party candidate Selina Hayat Ivy as this is a matter of the image of the party symbol, the ‘Nouka’ or ‘the boat’.

AL, BNP stalwarts pad up to canvass for party candidate

Stalwarts from both the ruling Awami League (AL) and the Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are preparing to campaign in favour of their respective candidates for the mayoral battle in Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) poll, slated to be held on December 22. The nomination papers of both the AL and BNP candidatesoutgoing mayor Selina Hayat Ivy and Sakhawat Hossain Khanwere found valid after scrutiny of nominations of all the candidates. Both the parties are taking the election seriously as it is a prestige fight for the AL to regain the mayoral prize and the BNP to establish its supremacy in the port city of Narayanganj, some 12km south of Dhaka. BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and senior party leaders, including secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, and senior leaders of the ruling party who are not Members of Parliament (MPs), are likely to take part in the electoral campaign, which formally begins on December 5. The BNP chairperson is expected to buttress the election campaign for the partys mayoral candidate for the NCC, the poll to which is being held towards the end of the five-year-long tenure of the Election Commission (EC). Madam (Khaleda Zia) is likely to visit Narayanganj in mid-December to address some campaign rallies in the city in favour of party candidate Sakhawat Hossain Khan, said a highly-placed source. The party high command is taking the NCC poll seriously and wants to see how the EC behaves before its tenure ends (in February next year), said the source. Talking to The Independent, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said they have taken the NCC poll seriously. Our candidate will sweep the mayoral poll if the election takes place in a free and fair manner, he said. The BNP leader said they want the EC to create a level playing field in Narayanganj. We have already demanded deployment of the army during the polls, he added. Asked whether Khaleda Zia would take part in the election campaign in Narayanganj, he said no decision in this respect has been taken yet. BNP standing committee member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain termed the NCC poll as the last test case both for the government and the incumbent EC as it is being held at the fag of its tenure. We are taking part in the polls to test how the government and the EC behave after what they did earlier in the name of elections, and before the commissions members demit office, he said. Meanwhile, the ruling party wants to see a free, fair and competitive election in Narayanganj so that its arch rival, the BNP, is not able to raise any questions about the poll. The AL has already nominated a single candidate and instructed the rebel leaders of the local AL unit to work for the candidate selected by the party. This is to ensure that its candidate secures victory in the port city elections. Party insiders said this time the AL top brass has nominated popular district AL leader and former NCC mayor Selina Hayat Ivy to make the election competitive so that no one is able to make the polls controversial by levelling allegations. To secure victory in the NCC poll, party president and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasian on Tuesday held a meeting with party candidate Selina Hayat Ivy and another veteran district leader, Shamim Osman, at her official residence Gono Bhaban to resolve the long-standing differences between them. After the meeting, party chief Sheikh Hasina directed Shamim Osman and other Narayanganj district leaders to obey party instructions if they want to do politics under the AL and to work for the party-backed candidate in the NCC poll to ensure her victory. Talking to this correspondent, AL presidium member Lt. Col. (retd) Mohammad Faruk Khan said, Yes, we are planning to send our central leaders, who are not MPs, to join the election campaign of party-nominated candidate Ivy in a bid to ensure her victory in the NCC poll. The candidates arch rival, Shamim Osman, told this correspondent that he would join the election campaign in favour of party candidate Selina Hayat Ivy as this is a matter of the image of the party symbol, the Nouka or the boat.