Multiple BNP aspirants are emerging ahead of the union parishad polls, despite the party’s decision to back a single candidate in each union to prevent the vote from splitting, posing a fresh challenge for the ruling party.
The Daily Star has learnt of multiple BNP aspirants campaigning in several districts, with grassroots leaders vying for chairman posts.
There are more than 4,500 union parishads across the country, and the Election Commission plans to begin the local government election cycle with union parishad polls.
In Rajshahi’s Bagmara upazila, at least six BNP leaders and supporters have started campaigning for the chairman post of Ganipur Union. Three hold posts in the union BNP, while the others are former district-level leaders.
In Munshiganj’s Rampal Union, at least seven BNP leaders are seeking the chairman post. Similar situations have been found in at least six districts, including Sylhet, Narayanganj, Tangail, Narail, Kishoreganj and Brahmanbaria.
Senior party leaders said the situation is similar across the country, with grassroots leaders eager to secure the ruling party’s support after it spent nearly two decades out of power.
Political analysts said the biggest challenge will be selecting a single candidate from among several aspirants and persuading the others to accept the decision.
Prof Al Masud Hasanuzzaman, former teacher of Jahangirnagar University’s Department of Government and Politics, said the local polls would be the first major test for the BNP-led government.
The party will have to ensure a peaceful law and order situation while controlling its grassroots leaders on the electoral field, he said.
The local polls will be held without party symbols, creating an unusual problem for the BNP.
Party leaders said multiple BNP aspirants can legally contest as independents, with no electoral mechanism to stop them even if the party backs one candidate. The party will therefore have to rely on organisational authority to persuade rival aspirants to withdraw, they added.
Under the party charter, the Parliamentary Board, comprising Standing Committee members, will select candidates after reviewing lists prepared by ward, union, upazila and district committees.
However, 72 of the party’s 82 district and metropolitan committees have exceeded their terms, making it difficult for BNP leaders to form local panels and complete the candidate selection process.
Party insiders fear the vacuum could allow personal interests or factional preferences to influence the process.
In Munshiganj, the district BNP’s convening committee is facing a leadership crisis following the death of its convener and the expulsion of its member secretary for contesting the national election as a rebel candidate. The Sadar upazila BNP president and municipality general secretary were also expelled.
Local BNP supporter Salahuddin Hossain, an aspirant for chairman of Rampal Union, said, “As we do not have district or upazila committees, the lawmaker may take a consensus-based and appropriate decision.”
To tackle the situation, BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has held meetings with leaders from around a dozen districts and metropolitan units, instructing them to ensure the selection of a single candidate in each constituency and unite grassroots leaders and activists.
On August 19, at a parliamentary party meeting, Tarique instructed party lawmakers to minimise internal divisions and field a single candidate from each constituency.
He also reminded them that the BNP had lost several seats in the national election because of internal divisions. The BNP had to expel at least 72 rebel candidates for defying party decisions.
However, BNP sources said the crisis would be hard for the party to solve.
They said forming new committees shortly before the polls could leave those denied positions frustrated, while keeping expired committees could raise questions over their authority to select candidates.
Syed Emran Saleh Prince, joint secretary general of the BNP, said, “We will face whatever challenges come. It is natural for a big party to have such issues. We will implement the instructions of the party’s high command. Those who will defy the party’s instructions will face organisational action.”
Meanwhile, BNP grassroots leaders are reaching out to voters known for supporting the Awami League, which faces a ban on its activities, ahead of the polls, assuring them of safety as the party seeks to avoid low turnout and secure broader support.
Sheikh Humayun Kabir Jibon, president of BNP’s Dharkhar union unit in Akhaura upazila of Brahmanbaria and a union parishad chairman aspirant, said, “Those who are pro-Awami League and were involved with the organisation are staying in the area. We are helping them from our side.”
“We are assuring them that they can move around normally,” he added.
In Munshiganj, Sultan Ahmed, a mayoral aspirant for Munshiganj municipality and a member of the district BNP convening committee, said he had no objection to ordinary AL supporters joining the election process if they do not hold party posts, face cases or have direct enmity with the BNP.
Grassroots leaders said poor voter turnout could make it harder for BNP-backed candidates to win and may benefit opponents.
A BNP chairman aspirant from Manikganj Sadar, speaking on condition of anonymity, said AL-supporting voters cannot be ignored in local polls, as their absence from polling centres could pose a greater risk for BNP-backed candidates.
