Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina has barred the family members of Awami League parliamentarians and ministers from contesting the upcoming Upazila council polls to keep them 'free from influence', reports bdnews24.com.
The decision was made to minimise conflict within the party and to ensure the elections were participatory, said AFM Bahauddin Nasim, joint general secretary of the ruling party.
The prime minister does not want anyone to 'ruin the election environment' and instructed the party to remain alert and 'strong' on the issue, he said.
"Today our party's General Secretary Obaidul Quader has given organisational instructions to the organising secretaries involved to tell the relatives of Awami League party MPs and ministers not to run as candidates in the Upazila elections. This is the order of the honourable leader of the people and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina."
Asked why such a decision was taken, Nasim said, "Starting from the Election Commission to people at all levels, everyone wants a free and fair election. The Awami League government is committed to giving its maximum cooperation to the Election Commission to ensure those fair and beautiful polls."
"Since the Upazila election schedule was announced the relatives of influential MPs and ministers have stood as candidates in various parts of the country. As a result, there are reports that the election environment was disrupted due to the influence of those ministers and MPs. This decision was made to keep the election environment peaceful and fair."
When asked whether the decision was communicated to specific people, Nasim said, "Some people were called in front of the general secretary and told 'no'."
Bangladesh has 495 Upazilas. Voting is to be held at 485 Upazilas in four phases, while the Election Commission will organise the polls for the rest later.
Some 2,000 candidates submitted their applications for contests in 150 Upazilas in the first phase of the polls. These applications were scrutinised on Wednesday. Voting in these upazilas will be held on May 8.
The second round of the elections will be held in 161 Upazilas. Aspirants have until Apr 21 to submit their applications. The third round will be held in 112 upazilas and applications are due by May 2.
A candidate in Natore's Singra upazila allegedly abducted and assaulted a rival candidate. The candidate in question is the brother-in-law of a local member of parliament and state minister.
In other constituencies there have been allegations that the ruling party is trying to use its influence to support certain candidates. EC Secretary Md Jahangir Alam has said the election regulator will take steps over such issues.
Though parties are allowed to pick candidates for upazila council chairman, the ruling Awami League has already said it will not grant nominations or party symbols during these polls. Awami League leaders thus have to run as independents.
"Most of the central party leaders were of the opinion that the allocation of party symbols was only causing splinters at the grassroots of the party," a senior central Awami League leader said. "Because of this, the party high command made the strict decision not to hand out party symbols."
"But, as the election approaches, it was noted that influential party leaders, especially local MPs and ministers, are fielding relatives and family members in their respective constituencies or backing their supporters as candidates with the understanding they were 'their men'. As a result, the party's command structure is breaking down at the grassroots level."
They said, "As MPs and ministers have the opportunity to affect the administration, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina has given instructions that the family members of the MPs cannot run. They cannot support their supporters either."
"The Awami League president gave strict instructions to the party's General Secretary Obaidul Quader in this regard. He has already sent instructions to the organisational secretaries in this regard."
The leader also said that the organisational secretaries had already called the respective MPs and ministers, asking them to withdraw the candidacies of their relatives and prohibiting them from backing others.
A list is being kept of those Awami League leaders fielding their relatives as candidates, they added.
Another central Awami League leader said, on condition of anonymity, that, "The son of former shipping minister Shajahan Khan, the brother-in-law of ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak, the nephew of Presidium member Abdur Razzak have been called and instructed not to stand as candidates in the election."
Awami League Organising Secretary AM Kamal Hossain says he has been relaying the orders according to his instructions and that he had already told 'many people'.
"I am determined to follow this instruction of the prime minister properly," he said. "I have started working on this from the moment I was informed this morning."
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