The planned upazila election has enthused Awami League aspirants and grassroots leaders and activists in all seven upazilas in Satkhira. But this has widened the rift in the party, already dogged by internal feud and grouping.
Though central AL is opposing upazila election before the national polls, local AL aspirants in all seven upazilas have launched mass contact and holding various programmes to reactivate party men and woo public support. The aspirants are enthused by victory of party men in the recent polls in four city corporations and nine municipalities
But AL leaders in Satkhira are worried that grassroots leaders who will not get party nod in upazila election may work against them in general elections. The widening rift will also affect the party in national polls, many party bigwigs told this correspondent.
The situation is worst in Satkhira Sadar and Assassuni upazilas.
Sadar Upazila AL president SM Shawkat Hossain and district Shramik League President Saiful Karim Sabu are already in the field to contest the planned upazila polls and both claim that they will get the party nod. The party unit there is divided into two factions, one led by Shawkat Hossain and the other by Sabu, party sources said.
On August 27, a joint meeting of Sadar and Satkhira town AL was held at Pourasava auditorium to pick up the candidate for the post of Sadar upazila chairman. The meeting ended in squabbles as both groups were determined to get their leader selected for the polls.
Assassuni upazila AL is divided into four factions. The rift has widened centring the planned upazila polls as there are four aspirants from the four factions.
Every day, party aspirants are holding meetings separately as part of their mass contact programme. At the meetings aspirants are mudslinging against one another, which is widening the rift, party insiders said.
The aspirants are district AL industry and commerce secretary ABM Mostakim, Assassuni upazila AL vice-president and Bardal Union Parishad (UP) chairman Yunus Ali, upazila AL secretary and Sadar UP chairman advocate Sahidul Islam Pintu and Upazila AL adviser Nilkantha Som.
The rival factions had been holding party programs separately for months. Centring the planned upazila polls, the infighting has now spread to grassroots level, frustrating most of the workers, party sources said.
The four rival groups observed August 15 mourning day (marking killing of Bangabandhu) programme separately at Assassuni.
The four groups one led by ABM Mustakim upazila, Shahidul Islam Pintu, Yunus Ali and Nil Kantha Som.
Amid mudslinging by leaders of the four factions, Assassuni Upazila AL president Dr. Mokhlesur Rahman is maintaining silence, not to annoy any of them. Mokhlesur Rahman is an aspirant in the forthcoming national election from Assasssuni constituency from where he was elected a lawmaker in 1996. He however lost the 2001 polls to four-party alliance.
Talking to this correspondent, a good number of front ranking district admitted that the intra-party rift is widening centring the upazila polls.
“We are not supporting holding of upazila election before parliamentary polls as it will create manifold problems in country's politics”, said Sheikh Mujibar Rahman, president of Satkhira district AL.
He however said many AL leaders are already in the field to contes the upazila election.
“They are taking their own decisions”, he said.
District AL vice-president and former lawmaker Monsur Ahmed admitted that leaders who are likely to contest the parliamentary polls are now maintaining a silence over rifts in the party.
“They are giving assurances to all aspirants (in planned upazila polls)”, he said.