Law enforcers have taken all-out measures, including keeping Dhaka city BNP leaders and activists under close watch, to preempt "potential subversive activities" centering on the BNP's Dhaka rally on December 10.

Surveillance has already been stepped up to stop any arms and explosives from entering the city before the rally, law enforcement officials said.

Meanwhile, the ruling Awami League is making its own preparations to prevent BNP men from joining the rally. The measures include "cutting-off" Dhaka from the rest of the country and taking position across the capital.

Like ahead of the BNP's previous divisional rallies in other parts of the country, transport will remain off the roads before the December 10 rally. Inter-district vehicular and launch movement is likely to be suspended as well. But vehicular movement within the city will remain normal, AL insiders said.

They said the party is taking measures carefully as they are somewhat clueless about what the BNP would do during the Dhaka rally. 

The BNP is holding a series of public rallies in 10 divisional cities to protest price hikes of daily essentials and fuel and the deaths of its leaders in police action, as well as to press home the demand for the permanent release of its Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

The movement will end with the Dhaka rally where BNP plans to gather 10 lakh people.

After the announcement for the rally, some BNP leaders threatened to unseat the government, but later party leaders went soft, saying they have not such plans.

Sources in the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said intelligence started putting key BNP leaders from city units to ward levels under surveillance.

According to police sources, police stations under the DMP have already been asked to execute pending arrest warrants for BNP leaders and activists and arrest other BNP men facing charges.

Police also started checking vehicles and goods-laden trucks at the capital's entry points to prevent anyone trying to get in with arms and explosives.

About the BNP rally, DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media) Faruk Hossain said it is for the government to decide whether the rally will go on as planned. 

"But we are making all preparations for the December 10 rally. We are prepared to prevent any unwanted situations," he told The Daily Star.

The BNP has already sought DMP's permission to hold their much-talked-about rally in front of the party's Nayapaltan office.

However, DMP suggested that the party shift the venue outside the centre of the capital, and hold it at the International Trade Fair ground at Purbachal or Bishwa Ijtema ground in Tongi, police sources said.

Contacted last night, BNP's Dhaka City North unit Convener Amanullah Aman said, "Our secretary general has already said we want to hold the rally in front of our Nayapaltan office. We don't have any alternative now. Earlier, we held grand rallies here, but this time it's a mass gathering. We hope we will get permission."

But in tune with the DMP, Awami League Presidium Member Jahangir Kabir Nanak at a programme at Suhrawardy Udyan on Monday made similar suggestions.

"BNP leaders are repeatedly saying they will assemble 10 lakh people at their rally. So, they should go for a venue that has the capacity to hold that many people," he said.

On BNP's Dhaka rally day, the AL will hold its own rally in Savar where it expects a crowd of 2 lakh people. Additionally, the party is planning two separate rallies in Jatrabari and Uttara -- two gateways to the capital. 

It will put its rank and file of Dhaka city on guard, and ask them to take position at the main streets and allies, as well as at other strategic points. 

Party leaders and activists will gather at the offices of 26 thana units, 64 ward and 802 units under Dhaka North City AL, and at 24 thana units, 75 ward and 605 unit offices under Dhaka South City AL.

AL Organising Secretary for Dhaka Division Mirza Azam said the AL men will take position at every unit of Dhaka City.

"We don't want to create any obstacle to the BNP rally. But we will not let them create any unwanted situation," he told The Daily Star. "We will also be alert to avoid confrontations."

The face-off between the two parties raised concerns among police, but they said they have preparations to tackle any possible confrontation between the two parties.

Political activities of the ruling Awami League in 2022 began slowly, after a quiet pandemic, and gathered significant momentum towards the end of the year.

The activities gathered pace largely due to the AL and the government's events and the programmes the party launched to counter the BNP's agitations, mostly rallies and processions after August 22.

The pandemic compelled AL President Sheikh Hasina to avoid public appearances but she started showing up at rallies this year which enthused AL rank and file.

In November, Hasina started electioneering for the 12th national polls, slated for January 2024, from a rally attended by a few lakh people. This was a morale boost for partymen who had to witness huge rallies of the BNP.

The AL is going to end the year on a high after completing its 22nd triennial conference on December 24 that elected Hasina party president for the 10th consecutive time, and the grand openings of Padma Bridge and metro rail which the AL promised to the nation.

PROBLEMS IT FACED

The Awami League started 2022 badly.

It suffered blow after blow for failing to manage party rebels in union parishad polls, which the BNP and other major political parties boycotted.

The Cumilla City Corporation election, held in June, brought some relief with an AL-backed mayor candidate winning for the first time there.

However, at the Rangpur city polls this week, AL's mayor candidate suffered a humiliating defeat, which cost her her security deposit.

Throughout the year, as AL stepped on the gas on organisational activities, ugly infighting came to the fore with deadly clashes especially ahead of local government polls.

At least 100 incidents of infighting were recorded between January and November that claimed the lives of 12 people and left 1,340 people injured, according to Ain o Salish Kendra.

WHAT'S AHEAD?

According to party insiders, the AL next year will focus on countering the opposition's anti-government agitations, holding campaign rallies, and organisational activities ahead of the national polls.

The AL formed the 14-party alliance in 2005 and won the national election in 2008, 2014, and 2018 but relations with its partners suffered as the allies were given hardly any space in the government and were largely ignored.

Next year, the AL will hold talks with like-minded leftist and some moderate Islamist parties as it plans to expand its electoral alliance and narrow the gap between its partners in the 14-party alliance.

The new central committee of AL, formed on December 24, will formally start its organisational activities on January 4 by placing floral wreaths at the tomb of the Father of the Nation at Tungipara.

Talking to The Daily Star, AL Joint General Secretary Bahauddin Nasim said their main aim for next year is to make the party stronger to face the national polls.

He also said AL activists across the country will make door-to-door visits and highlight he government's achievements, like successes in dealing with the pandemic and openings of the Padma Bridge and Metro rail.

The ruling party will start its activities and electioneering for the beginning of the new year, sources said.

Next year, AL supremo Hasina will continue to participate in election rallies. She is scheduled to join a rally in Rajshahi on February 4.

Hasina started her campaign rallies in Jessore on November 25. She joined a rally in Chattogram on December 4 and another one in Cox's Bazar on December 7. In every rally, she urged people to vote for "Boat".

Women in Noakhali-4 and Chattogram-2 constituencies alleged that ruling party men barred them from casting votes and harassed them physically.

In Noakhali-4, in front of Kallyan Pouro High School in Sadar, ruling party men barred a few women around 8:30am, our correspondent reports.

“The men told us that they will only let us cast our votes to Awami League,” the women said. “They also scuffled with us to not let us vote.”

In Chattogram-2 constituency, at Moddho Doulotpur Government Primary School polling centre of Fatikchori area, around 20-30 women alleged that ruling party men were bothering them as they were waiting in line to cast votes around 11:00 am.

“They also tried to bar us from getting out of our homes, but we managed to reach the centre, and tried to drive us away,” one of the voters said.

The Daily Star is not revealing the names of any of the voters because of their security.