Divisions within Awami League (AL) and BNP seem to have resurfaced with the local leaders vying for nominations to contest the August 4 mayoral polls.

Alongside intra-party disputes, rivalry between prospective candidates within alliances too is intense. In four divisional headquarters, mayoral aspirants in both AL and BNP brace themselves for challenges from components of the 14-party and four-party combines.

Things have been even worse for lack of instructions from central leadership of the parties that have yet to decide whether to take part in the elections to four city corporations and nine municipalities.

In Rajshahi, the fight between the Workers Party politburo member Fazle Hossain Badsha and city AL General Secretary AHM Khairuzzaman Liton for mayor nomination has grown quite fierce. In BNP, as many as eight candidates have been working towards mayoral nomination. Of them, party insiders believe, Central Office Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi stands a good chance of winning the coalition backing.

In Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barisal, Jamaat-e-Islami leaders are going to mount serious challenges to BNP leaders seeking four-party alliance nominations.

In Sylhet, several leaders in both AL and BNP have been staking out a claim to nominations.

Leaders of Khulna unit AL and BNP however have refrained from airing their mayoral aspiration. While those in AL are waiting for decisions from the high command, their counterparts in BNP are fearful of disciplinary action in the event of participation in the polls.

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, some leaders from divisional units of BNP and AL said that the central committees should step in to quell the rising discontent within the parties.

Though policymakers have yet to make up their mind about the elections, the grassroots leaders in both the parties are in favour of contesting the polls. Some of them are even ready to run for the polls as independent candidates in case their organisations opt not to take part in the race.

However, sources said the parties might finally decide to join the race on strategic consideration that they might fall behind if the rivals go to polls and they do not.

AL sources said the party has already asked its grassroots to prepare for the polls.

AL Presidium Member Tofail Ahmed yesterday told reporters that he hopes the party ranks would accept whatever the AL Central Working Committee (ALCWC) might decide regarding the elections.

He said AL is always ready for election, but it believes no election would be acceptable to people if held amid the state of emergency.

"The elections should be conducted after the withdrawal of the state of emergency," he added.

The party's acting general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said the organisation is prepared for elections and would decide whether to participate in the forthcoming ones at its presidium and central working committee meetings. The ALCWC is scheduled to meet on June 26.

He was speaking to reporters after laying wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Bangabandhu Memorial Building in Dhanmondi on the party's 59th founding anniversary.

RAJSHAHI
“If the four-party coalition takes part in the polls, I will be their candidate,” said Rajshahi city Jamaat Ameer Ataur Rahman, adding that he was leading the local alliance in absence of detained RCC Mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu.

Besides Rizvi, Rajshahi city Jubo Dal President Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul, BNP leaders Enamul Haque, Quamrul Monir, Alauddin, Jahan Panna, Shahid Hasan and Shahin Shawkat want to compete for the post.

Jamaat says its leaders Abul Kalam Azad and Siddik Hussain too are in contention for nomination.

Meanwhile, 82 people including six for the mayoral post collected application forms for candidacy from Rajshahi deputy election commissioner's office on the first day of form distributions yesterday, adds our Rajshahi correspondent.

KHULNA
Khulna City AL President Talukder Abdul Khaleque said they are mentally prepared to participate in the KCC election.

Member-Secretary of Khulna city BNP convening committee Shaharuzzaman Martuza said anyone who would file nominations defying the party decision would face disciplinary actions, reports our Khulna correspondent.

BARISAL
A number of mayoral hopefuls in AL and BNP are running a covert campaign since their parties are yet to announce whether to participate in the polls.

Some mid-level leaders however are openly canvassing support for their bid, our Barisal correspondent reports.

Leaders of the AL and its allies on Sunday night held a closed-door meeting to finalise candidates, but failed, sources said.

President of Barisal Nagorik Parishad Enayet Pir Khan, who was backed by AL in the last Barisal City Corporation election, and District AL Convenor Sawkat Hossain Hiron are striving for nominations.

Rejaul Haque Harun, Monirul Islam Khan, Syed Anisur Rahman, Alamgir Hossain Alo, Shamssuddin Ahmed Khan, Moshiur Rahman Khan, Syed Golam Mashud Bablu and Masudul Haque Khan are the other ones trying to make it to the electoral fray.

Meanwhile, BNP looks split over who would run for the post of mayor as Mujibur Rahman Sarwar, the incumbent, remains behind bars.

Abaidul Haque Chan, Ahsan Habib Kamal, Sakhawat Hossain Jumman, Mohsin Montu, Abdur Rahman Tapon and Ataharul Islam Chowdhury Babul too making strong efforts to win nominations.

Chan claims that he is running for office because that is what his party rank and file wants.

Jamaat-e-Islami Barisal city Ameer Moazzem Hossain Helal too is drumming up support in favour of his nomination endeavour.

SYLHET
Former Sylhet district BNP chief MA Haque, who lost the 2003 election to city AL chief Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran, and BNP city unit Secretary Nasim Hossain are competing to be on the alliance ticket, reports our Sylhet correspondent.

AFM Kamal, expelled from BNP for contesting the 2003 election as an independent candidate, may again run for office.

Shafiqur Rahman, former city Jamaat chief, said his party has chosen him for seeking nomination, but the four-party alliance is yet to decide on the issue.

Meanwhile, Sylhet city AL General Secretary Misbah Uddin Siraj and Joint Secretary Ashfaque Ahmed are among the contenders for the mayoral nomination. AL leader and ex-municipality chairman Babul Hossain, on the other hand, claims that he has the 'go-ahead' from the party high-ups for his run for office.

Interestingly, sources in the AL central committee say that the party has plans to extend its support for now detained SCC Mayor Kamran.

As many as 67 people including six wishing to compete for the post of mayor registered their names with the Sylhet office of Deputy Election Commissioner and collected nomination forms on the first day yesterday, adds our Sylhet correspondent.

Those who have collected nominations forms are former senior vice-president of district AL Abduj Jahir Chowdhury Sufian, incumbent ward commissioner and city BNP Vice-president Abdul Quaiyum Jalali Ponki, district Jatiya Party (JP) chief Kunu Miah and city JP Vice-president Abdus Samad Nazrul, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish city unit General Secretary Maulana Sirajul Islam and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) leader Syed Ali Afsar Zahed.