Arrests upset BNP hopefuls

The BNP is worried about finding suitable candidates for the upcoming municipality polls as over 500 of its prospective contenders have been arrested this month, party insiders claimed.

Many BNP leaders are also in hiding to avoid arrest, they added.

Moreover, several grassroots BNP leaders said they fear their party's prospective candidates and their supporters might face the wrath of ruling Awami League men before, during, and after the polls.

"The local government elections would not change the government. Who will protect our men if the local Awami League men target our leaders for contesting the polls or our activists for working for our party candidates?" said Mahbub Hossain Piaru, president of Khulna's Sonadanga chapter of Jubo Dal, youth wing of the BNP.

"We are the ones who have to stay in our areas after the local body elections are over. Neither the police nor the BNP central leaders will come forward to protect us if the Awami League men take revenge centring on the elections," another BNP grassroots leader of Khulna said, wishing anonymity.

BNP senior leaders have already hinted that the 20-party alliance would take part in the municipality polls, likely to be held in late December.

However, the BNP-led coalition would make the final decision after its leader Khaleda Zia returns home, party sources said. The BNP chief, who has been staying in London since September 16, is scheduled to fly back home today.

Talking to The Daily Star, a BNP joint secretary general on Saturday said law enforcement agencies' wholesale arrest of the alliance men has put them in further trouble.

In the wake of arrests and party men going into hiding, the BNP central leaders have become worried that the party men might not be active during the polls and not agree to work as polling agents of the BNP candidates.

According to BNP Assistant Office Secretary Asadul Karim Shahin, over 5,000 BNP men had been arrested in police drives since November 1.

Of them, more than 500 were prospective candidates in their respective municipalities while 280 were potential mayor aspirants, said sources at the BNP's central office.

"We have already directed the party men to take legal measures so that the arrested aspirants could get out of jails to contest the polls. If that does not happen, we will instruct them to pick alternative candidates," a BNP central leader said.

However, BNP policymakers think the party would benefit even if the government "hijacked" the results of the municipality polls as the party would get people's sympathy and support from the international community.

"The people and the international community will not take it positively if we boycott the polls. Moreover, another election boycott will further frustrate the already demoralised grassroots," a BNP vice-chairman said, wishing anonymity.

The BNP along with some like-minded parties boycotted the 10th parliamentary polls and ended up having no representation in parliament for the first time in the country's history of parliamentary democracy.

The BNP leader said despite various obstacles, the district committees and former lawmakers of the party have already started preparing lists of prospective mayoral and councillor candidates.

They would also leave some mayoral and councillor posts for candidates of their alliance partners to contest for.

BNP Joint Secretary General Mohammad Shajahan said the party fears there might not be a level-playing field during the polls as the government continues "wholesale arrest of BNP men".

He said they were taking necessary pre-election preparations so that they do not face any problems at the eleventh hour, if the party decides to join the race.

BNP Spokesperson Asaduzzaman Ripon alleged the government was not taking any steps to create a proper atmosphere for a fair election. "Rather, they're destroying the polls environment as they don't want the BNP to contest the polls."

Asked, BNP Vice-Chairman Abdullah Al Noman said, "The BNP is a large party and even if our prospective aspirants are arrested, we have alternative candidates."