A few hours left for nomination

Awami League and the BNP are letting their grassroots leaders to file nomination papers to run for councillor posts in three city elections but the parties could ask them to withdraw later on.

The grassroots leaders could submit the papers today, the last day for filing, but the AL and the BNP top brass would decide who would get the party endorsement. The others would be asked to withdraw as the parties would back only one candidate per post, sources in the parties said.

The parties have no idea how many of their leaders have collected nomination forms for the elections to councillor posts but senior leaders believe there were two to three potential contestants per party for each post.

Records in the offices of the returning officers say that a total 1,951 people have collected nomination forms for 93 councillor posts in two city corporations in Dhaka.

For the two mayoral posts, 58 individuals, including those belonging to AL and the BNP, have collected nomination papers.

In Chittagong, the AL and the BNP were not worried as only one person from each party has collected nomination papers.

It's a differently story in the councillors' race. More than 560 individuals, most of them of AL and BNP, have collected nomination papers. 

In Dhaka, some senior leaders of AL said the party would collect names of the councillor aspirants after the nomination filing today.

"The process is going on to pick a single councillor candidate [for each ward] and it would be completed before April 9, the last day for withdrawal of candidature," AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif told The Daily Star yesterday.

He said the candidates would be selected based on their popularity and acceptability.

Sources in the party said AL's main problem was mayoral aspirants for Dhaka South City Corporation Haji Mohammad Salim and Chittagong City Corporation ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury. Party chief Sheikh Hasina convinced the two to quit the race, they said. 

They also said the party would take initiatives to convince leaders of the components of the AL-led 14-party alliance to quit the race and back AL-blessed candidates. In return, the AL would back some leaders of the alliance partners in the race for some councillor posts.

The issue would be discussed at the 14-party's meeting on March 31.

AL chief Hasina would make the final decision on which AL candidates gets to run with AL backing after being recommended by an AL committee.

Meanwhile, Mirza Abbas, convenor of BNP Dhaka City, told The Daily Star that as part of their strategy, the party has instructed its prospective mayoral and councillor candidates to submit their nomination papers properly.

"After consultation with the party high-ups and the city unit leaders, we will pick the most suitable and competent candidates for contesting two mayoral posts and 124 councillor posts, including reserved posts for women," he said over the phone from an undisclosed location.

"The rest of the party men would be asked to withdraw … ," he said.

Abul Sayeed Khan Khokon, a joint convener of BNP Dhaka City, said they have already started working on selecting single councillor aspirants for the 93 wards and the women runners for the 31 reserved posts.

Party insiders said candidates backed by Jamaat-e-Islami, a key component in the BNP-led 20-party alliance, would be running in a number of wards.

The Chittagong 20-party alliance yesterday extended its support for mayor aspirant M Manjur Alam in Chittagong City Corporation.

Meanwhile, Prof Emajuddin Ahmed, convener of pro-BNP citizen's platform "Shoto Nagorik", yesterday said the Election Commission was yet to take any step in response to their suggestion for holding the city corporation elections in a free and fair manner.

"Creating a congenial atmosphere is essential … so that all participants can carry out their electioneering without fear of arrest or police harassment," said the former Dhaka University vice-chancellor while speaking at a discussion in the Jatiya Press Club.

"If the city elections become questionable, like that of January-5, 2014, people won't tolerate it. The elections will have to be acceptable to all at home and abroad," he said.