AL for partisan local govt polls

The Awami League Central Working Committee, highest decision-making body of the ruling party, yesterday unanimously agreed that all the future elections to local bodies should be held in a partisan manner.
A meeting of the 72-member committee asked party general secretary and LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam to take initiatives in this regard, said meeting sources.
If the government takes the decision, all the polls to local bodies -- zila parishad, upazila parishad, union parishad, municipality and city corporation -- will be held in a partisan manner like the parliamentary elections.
Speaking at the meeting at Gono Bhaban, Ashraf rejected the possibility of holding a mid-term election, saying that the next general election will be held in 2019 as per constitutional provisions.
“The first session of the 10th parliament began on January 29 and the tenure of the incumbent government will expire on January 28, 2019. Thus, the next parliamentary election will be held within 90 days upon expiry of the current government's tenure,” he told the meeting.
The government would not change its stand on the next polls under any pressure, insisted the minister.
“The Awami League has an absolute majority in parliament and the party can amend the constitution. But we've no intention of amending the constitution or stepping down," added Ashraf.
He expressed optimism that the Sheikh Hasina-led government would fulfil its electoral pledges during its five-year tenure. “But it's not possible for the prime minister and her cabinet alone to fulfil each and every pledge,” mentioned the AL leader.
AL President Sheikh Hasina at the meeting proposed that all the elections to local bodies should be held in a partisan manner. The meeting backed her proposal.
She said the Dhaka city AL unit will be split into two and the committees will be named soon after completion of conferences at thana, ward and union levels.  
The PM also hinted at holding the long overdue elections to Dhaka city corporations.
She informed her party colleagues that Bangladesh is going to make a Guinness World Record by singing the national anthem with participation of the highest number of people. The event will be organised at the National Parade Ground on the Independence Day (March 26).
Some three lakh people will sing simultaneously at the programme to be hosted jointly by the Bangladesh Army and the cultural affairs ministry. India currently holds the record in this category.
The AL chief also talked about a media report stating that the USA would not provide any more training to the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members. “We need not to be trained by those who gun down one terrorist while capturing two,” an AL leader quoted Hasina as saying.
Seven organising secretaries of the AL presented reports on recent party activities to the meeting. AL organising secretary for Khulna division BM Mojammel Huq alleged that the party could not pick single candidate for the upazila chairman post in many places due to interference by party lawmakers.
Hasina asked the organising secretaries to  make their best efforts to ensure win for party candidates.