Despite the Awami League (AL) and its allies Jatiya Party (JaPa) and the AL-led 14-party alliance met at Ganabhaban on Monday over seat sharing, no agreement was reached. The second round of talks was held at the residence of alliance coordinator Amir Hossain Amu yesterday, but there was also no agreement in that meeting. The AL will hold a seat-sharing meeting with the JaPa today. Then the party forum in-charge will take a decision in this regard after discussion. And for final result, the alliance partners will have to wait at least till December 17.
Political analysts said that the opposition parties, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, boycotted the election under a partisan government, but the election process did not stop. AL and its allies JaPa and the AL-led 14-party alliance are contesting the election. Besides, independent candidates will be in the election field against AL party symbol boat. Among these independent candidates, there are also members of the current parliament, who did not come under consideration of the AL nomination board this time. Besides, many popular leaders of AL are contesting the election without getting the party’s nomination. Those who believe that if the election is neutral, they will be able to win against the boat symbol. AL is trying to make the election competitive through various tactics as the opposition parties do not come to the polls.
As part of this effort, the AL has not barred the party's nominees from being independent candidates, but the nominees have also been instructed to keep dummy candidates. In the light of this directive, many AL candidates have nominated their wives and family members as candidates so that people can understand that the vote is being competitive. The AL had already informed the Election Commission to vote in alliance. But as the opposition parties, including BNP, did not come to the polls, the AL wanted the 14-party partners to be elected with their own symbols. The coalition partners are also absolutely reluctant to do so. Even if they do not say it in their mouth, they are 100 percent sure that they do not have the public support anywhere in the country to contest in the election field. That is why Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's official residence and alliance coordinator and AL Advisory Council member Amir Hossain Amu has been going to the house for a few days. The purpose of these meetings is to take part in the election with the symbol of AL excluding their own symbol. Although the meeting was held for two days on Monday and yesterday, the AL did not take any decision on the matter. AL asked the alliance partners to wait longer.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the JaPa, known as loyal to the government, is being held with the AL today. That is, the JaPa is not showing the courage to go to parliament by contesting the election. That is why they also want to compromise seats with AL. Analyzing the overall situation, political analysts think that there is no competition between any organized or qualified political party with AL, but there is some competition, but which is among the AL leaders who are competing as independent candidates.
Meanwhile, after a meeting with the leaders of the 14-party alliance at Eskaton in the capital yesterday evening, Coordinator and Spokesman of the Grand Alliance and AL Advisory Council Member Amir Hossain Amu said that the issue of seat sharing of the partners of the AL-led 14-party Grand Alliance will be decided after discussions with JaPa ahead of the upcoming 12th parliamentary election. The alliance partners will have to wait till December 17 to allocate seats and finalize the candidates.
He said the AL will hold talks with the JaPa today as the election will be held in alliance. The alliance will have to wait till December 17 to finalize the seat arrangement and candidate. Our 14-party leader (Sheikh Hasina) had a meeting with the alliance leaders on Monday. There was a detailed discussion at the meeting. The current context and political issues were discussed. The issue of seat sharing of the Grand Alliance also came up in the meeting.
The senior AL leader also said that the 14-party alliance is an ideological alliance. The coalition's relationship does not depend on the arrangement of seats. The spokesman of the grand alliance said that the 14-party alliance is not a seat-sharing alliance like other parties. AL also has heavyweight candidates against own AL leaders. Nothing can be said about leaving the seats of the alliance partners before the 17th. The meeting was held at Amir Hossain Amu's house yesterday
Bangladesh Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal President Hasanul Haq Inu and General Secretary Shirin Akhter and many others were present.
On the other hand, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) President Hasanul Haq Inu talked to reporters after a meeting with 14-party coordinator Amir Hossain Amu in the afternoon. He said the AL’s seat-sharing with the 14-party alliance partners should be respectable. Currently there are 10 MPs from the 14-party alliance. This time we have 20 expectations. But we want respectable seat sharing.
Replying to a question from journalists, Hasanul Haq Inu said the candidates of the alliance will contest the election with the boat symbol again. Any transaction will be bargained, mind-boggling. At the end of the day, we will walk out smiling and holding hands. The alliance candidate will come here, the AL candidate will rise there. We have asked Sheikh Hasina to consider the party's strategy for an independent candidate. I have time, we'll discuss. Candidates will choose the boat mark.
On the same day, AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader said at a press conference at the party office, "What is the expectation of the 14-party alliance, and what is the reality of it, we will decide together. Some of them may do it by boat, but their other candidates will choose many on their own lines."
Earlier on December 4, top leaders of the 14-party alliance held a meeting with AL President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganobhaban. Seat sharing was not completed in the long four-hour meeting. AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader, Presidium Member Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim were given the responsibility of the seat-sharing issue.
In this context, political analyst Dr Badiul Alam Majumder said that as a political party, the condition of the partners of the 14-party alliance has lagged behind so much that they are running for the symbol of AL to participate in the election. He also termed the process as a crisis of political existence of the 14-party partners.
ARS
