- Campaigns of other parties in the polls are not visible
- Independents are the main competitor of boat symbol
There is no alternative party to challenge the Awami League (AL) as the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), one of the opposition parties Jamaat-e-Islami and their allies do not participate in the election. As a result, it can be easily guess that the AL is going to win in the election. However, the challenge that has now been created for the AL in the field has been for the independent candidates.
Election expert said that there's a special reason for that. That is, many of the independent candidates are influential leaders of AL and many of them are current MPs. Although some are not MPs, they hold important positions at the central or district level of position in the party. Many of these independent candidates are hugely popular in the area. As a result, the parties other than AL could not stand as a challenge for AL’s party symbol boat.
Apart from AL, Jatiya Party (JaPa) is in the election. In the meantime, the AL has withdrawn the candidature of the boat candidates leaving 26 seats as part of the seat agreement with the party. As a result, JaPa is not a competitor to AL in the field. Apart from these 26 seats, the JaPa can compete with the AL in one or two places, but overall these two parties are in the voting field by compromising the seats. Apart from the AL, the AL has left six seats in only three of the 13 parties among the central 14 parties. Although the alliance leaders took part in these six seats, their symbol is the boat. As a result, independent candidates will fight with the boat in these six seats. Besides, the remaining 10 parties of the 14-party alliance are completely unimportant in the voting field as they are not left without seats from the AL. These parties have no involvement with ordinary voters, so they are not discussed. Apart from this, parties like King's Party Kalyan Party and Trinamool BNP, which are outside the AL-led alliance, are also not in any discussion in the election field.
Election experts said many prominent parties participated nominally in the election. None of the central leaders of most of these parties even not known. Not only ordinary people, even politicians do not know them. Because they have no influence in politics, they are a lot of air in the field of voting. Many teams have no visible existence. Many people are participating in the election as a condition of going to the polls has been added to the condition of registration of political parties. But they have no presence in the field of voting.
The election symbols were allocated on December 18 ahead of the 12th parliamentary elections. After that, the candidates started campaigning and campaigning. Even after 11 days of the allocation of symbols, no campaign was seen in the election area except AL. This reporter did not see any campaign mike or election office of other parties outside AL in more than one constituency in Dhaka. AL’s alliance partners or parties in the election are not seen making public relations in the voting field. Two JaPa candidates, who were deprived of seat sharing with AL, are active in the field. They are JaPa co-chairman and former state minister for women and children affairs Advocate Salma Islam for Dhaka-1 constituency (Dohar-Nawabganj). Although there was a seat agreement with the AL, the AL did not leave the seat to the JaPa. On the other hand, the AL left the Dhaka-4 (Shyampur-Kadamtali) seat to the JaPa due to the compromise in the last election. As a result, JaPa Co-Chairman Syed Abul Hossain Babla became an MP. He is still the MP of this constituency. But this time the AL did not give this seat without the Jatiya Party, but MP Babla is in the vote. He's on the campaign.
Apart from the AL, JaPa, at least 27 other political parties are in the fray. But they do not see any activity in the voting field. Those 27 parties do not have campaign field. There is no election office. Candidates don't have public relations. The situation outside Dhaka is the same. Although the candidates are in the election, they are not in the electoral field. But independent candidates are in the field.
According to sources, Bangladesh Tarikat Federation, one of the partners of the AL-led 14-party alliance, has given candidates in more than 40 seats. Federation Chairman Nazibul Bashar Maujvandary is campaigning in his constituency, but the other candidates are not in the field. He is in the field with the hope of being re-elected as the chairman of the Tarikat Federation has been an MP in several rounds of voting. But he is losing his existence in the voting field as the local AL and public representatives leave his company. Others do not want to waste time on the field after witnessing this situation of the party chairman.
Meanwhile, the independent candidates across the country are not sitting still. Independent candidates are in the fray relying on AL President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's promise of a fair election. Many of their current MPs and many are influential leaders of AL, so they are in a position of strength in the field. As a result, the main competition is between the boat and the independent candidate.
ARS
