Battle to get AL nomination heats up

As the Sylhet City Corporation election is approaching, tensions are high among those who are vying for mayoral nomination from Awami League.

Since AL leader and former mayor Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran died of Covid-19 on June 15, 2020, at least seven AL leaders have entered the conversation about prospective nomination.

However, the debate intensified after a UK-based AL leader entered the scene last January.

Tenure of the incumbent BNP-backed mayor Ariful Haque Choudhury will expire on November 6, and the election needs to be held 160 days before the tenure's end.

For years, AL's former central organising secretary Misbah Uddin Siraj, city unit's vice presidents Asad Uddin Ahmad and Abdul Khalique, general secretary Md Zakir Hossain, and joint secretaries ATMA Hasan Zebul and Azadur Rahman Azad have been in talks of getting nominated.

After Kamran passed away, his son and the city unit's organising secretary Dr Arman Ahmad Shiplu also got involved in the conversation.

Meanwhile, Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury, joint secretary of AL's United Kingdom unit, returned to Bangladesh on January 22 and claimed to have received a special message from the party high-ups to start campaigning for the Sylhet city polls.

Sources in AL said Anwaruzzaman got the green signal from the ruling party's leaders and returned to Sylhet.

Anwaruzzaman has been an MP aspirant for the Sylhet-2 constituency for the last several national elections. He feuded with former AL lawmaker Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury, who is the president of Sylhet district unit AL.

AL sacrificed the constituency to Jatiya Party (JP) in the 2014 election, and in the 2018 polls, the Gono Forum candidate won after defeating the JP parliamentarian.

Senior leaders of AL in Sylhet said to pacify the conflict between the Chowdhurys of Sylhet-2, the AL nomination for the constituency will be given to Shafiqur, while Anwaruzzaman will be awarded the mayoral nomination.

Meanwhile, Sylhet city has been covered with posters, banners and festoons supporting Anwaruzzaman as AL's mayoral candidate.

The tension over Anwaruzzaman's statement heightened on February 6, following a speech of AL central organising secretary Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel.

At a programme in the city, he said, "Under the leadership of Anwaruzzaman, this city will become more dynamic and people-oriented. We have all gathered here on the orders of our leader Sheikh Hasina. Anwaruzzaman is working for you on Sheikh Hasina's instruction."

The next day, the Sylhet city unit of AL released a statement, signed by its president Mashuk Uddin Ahmed and general secretary Md Zakir Hossain, in which they mentioned that the city unit has not received any instruction from the prime minister or any central leader as Shafiul's speech claimed.

Besides, Shafiul is responsible for the Mymensingh division, not Sylhet, it stated.

While talking to several aspirants, it is clear that there is serious dissatisfaction regarding Anwaruzzaman's appearance and his claim of getting a special message from high-ups.

Weeks after Anwaruzzaman's arrival, Misbah on February 16 publicly declared that he wants AL's mayoral nomination.

At a programme organised by Sylhet District Bar Association, he said, "I wish to contest the next mayoral election and will seek AL nomination like last time."

After his public declaration, other AL leaders, except Asad Uddin, started putting up posters and banners in the city declaring their candidacy.

Kamran's son Shiplu said, "Our whole family is dedicated to Awami League. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is our guardian, and there are party leaders who will take the decision regarding the mayoral candidate. Whomever they select, I will work with them dedicatedly."

Md Zakir Hossain, general secretary of AL's city unit, said, "Awami League has its process to select the mayoral candidate from the recommendation of the grassroots, and we look forward to it. No matter who is selected, we are asked to work for the party symbol."

Asad Uddin said, "In 2008, I was a strong mayoral aspirant, but the party did not nominate me. But I spend my days serving the city's people and hope the party will consider me."

"His [Anwaruzzaman] claims are solely personal, and the party high-ups have not given any such instruction to the city unit yet," he said.

Anwaruzzaman said, "As I was asked to work in the city, I have started working, while other senior leaders are doing the same. There is no room for confusion until the party board finally selects the mayoral candidate."

Regarding the statement of AL's city unit, he said, "The general secretary and the younger brother of the president are aspirants, and that makes them interested parties. But there is nothing wrong with them reacting in such a way, as they have been working dedicatedly for a long time..."