Wife sees no adverse impact on campaigns in absence of BNP-backed mayor aspirant Mirza Abbas

We are running a series of stories based on interviews of mayoral aspirants ahead of elections to three city corporations in Dhaka and Chittagong. In our earlier stories, the candidates spoke to The Daily Star on their priorities and pledges. This time, we could not reach DSCC mayor aspirant Mirza Abbas. His wife spoke to us on his behalf and she mainly focused on the campaign challenges.

Mirza Abbas' absence in electioneering will not hurt his mayoral bid, as "the people and voters are with him," claimed Afroza Abbas, wife of the BNP-backed mayor aspirant in Dhaka South City Corporation.

Afroza is leading the campaign activities on her husband's behalf as Abbas, also a BNP standing committee member, is not appearing in public fearing arrest. He is accused in as many as 60 cases and faces arrest warrant in one of them.

"The government is playing foul with my husband by filing a number of politically motivated cases against him as he is popular among the people and his voters. The government is depriving him of meeting his voters," Afroza told The Daily Star in an interview yesterday.
"As a candidate, he has every right to seek votes in person. But he cannot do this as he is not being granted bail which frustrates us," she said.

April 26 is the last date for campaigning and April 27 has been set by a High Court bench for hearing one of Abbas' bail petitions.
"It is now almost certain that he will not be able to participate in the electioneering in person," Afroza went on.
Will there be any change in the campaign strategy then?

"We will continue the campaigns as vigorously as we are doing now unless the situation demands any change," she replied, adding that her husband was "in constant touch" with his men and was giving necessary instructions in this regard.
"Even if the bail is not granted, he will surely come in public ignoring fears of arrest because people in Dhaka want to see him among them," she said.

Afroza accused the ruling party men and law enforcement agencies of obstructing their campaigns. "Police are arresting our men almost regularly and harassing them for participating in electioneering for my husband."

"We are complaining to the Election Commission every day about these but they are not doing anything," she alleged.
"If the government thinks that their candidates will win the elections, why then are they hesitating to ensure a level-playing field for all?" she added.

Afroza on Monday unveiled her husband's manifesto with 98 pledges aimed at making Dhaka a liveable, ideal and world-class city.
Civic services, amusement facilities, healthcare, education, traffic, communication infrastructure, environment and waste management, social services and public safety took the centre stage in the manifesto.

Afroza, who has almost no previous campaign experience, has been spending an extremely busy time since the polls electioneering began, going from door to door from dawn to dusk seeking votes for her husband.
How is she coping up with the pressure?

"I forgot all my sufferings and other discomforts when I saw people's enthusiasm and support," Afroza said with a flicker of smile on her visibly exhausted face.