Internal conflicts within the Barishal city and district units of the Awami League have heightened tensions within the party ahead of the city elections, with two rival factions currently visible, which could prove advantageous for the Islami Shashantantra Andolan mayoral candidate, according to a number of AL supporters.
The prevailing Awami League (AL) is most vulnerable in Barisal ahead of the upcoming five city corporation elections. The Trinamool candidacy for mayor of this city is in jeopardy as a result of the publicized split and infighting among party leaders. Family dispute, and feud rumors have been circulating, further complicating the situation even before the party nominations have been made public.
However, there are many in the Islami Shashantantra Andolan in Bangladesh who hope to exploit internal strife within the ruling party. Additionally, Sadiq Abdullah, the outgoing mayor and secretary of the city unit AL, was not spotted campaigning for his party’s first-time mayoral candidate Abul Khayer Khokon Serniabat as the election approached.
The Islamic party, which has performed well in previous elections around the country, is gearing up to run for office in Barisal. The party’s leaders believe that without BNP competing, this window of opportunity has narrowed.
Polls to the Barishal City Corporation (BCC) is scheduled for 12 June.
The initial spark
Candidate nomination was the initial spark for this Islami Shashantantra Andolan. The party was planned to reveal its candidate on April 18, but the event was abruptly rescheduled until later that day. According to a statement released by the party’s media, the announcement of the “haatpankha” candidate in Barisal City will have to wait until after Eid. At the time, many people were talking about how the party was taking an unusually long time to reveal its candidates.
The present mayor of Serniabat, Sadiq Abdullah, was reportedly replaced as the candidate on April 15 by his own uncle, Abul Khair Abdullah alias Khokon Serniabat. Neither Sadiq Abdullah’s nor his uncle Khokon Serniabat’s supporters are reluctant to offer a competing platform for the 2018 mayoral race. However, it is known that Kamrul Ahsan Rupon, the son of the recently deceased BNP mayor of Barisal City, Ahsan Habib Kamal, will also be running for office. If he can run for office, he stands to gain from Awami League discord. Khokon’s major adversary in the city elections may be Mufti Syed Muhammad Faizul Karim, son of Rezaul Karim (Charmonai Pir) and the second most powerful figure in the Islami Shashantantra Andolan.
AL’s infighting in Barisal
Awami League general secretary for the Barisal metropolitan area, Sadiq Abdullah, reportedly kept quiet for a while before joining virtually from the capital on behalf of Khokon Serniabat and delivering a directive speech to the leaders, activists, and followers. However, even after a week of the leader’s guidance, no prominent leader loyal to Sadiq was spotted in the district or metropolis campaigning in support of candidate Khokon. Instead, the mayoral candidates are keen to debate Zahid Farooq’s supporters, such as Khokon Sernibat, from the Barisal Sadar Constituency on social media.
Analysts predict dire consequences for Awami League if they are unable to settle this local political disagreement. If that happens, the ruling party’s nominee will face opposition from the likes of the Charmonai, the Jatiya Party, and independent candidates. This makes it extremely unlikely that the candidate aboard the boat will be elected.
The ruling party has taken the initiative to end the fighting and guarantee the success of Awami League activists and leaders by rallying support behind the boat candidate. Each municipality is forming its own coordinating committee for this reason. The committee’s draft has also been sent in to the main office. The Awami League has resolved to set up a special committee to coordinate the Barisal City Corporation election. The group is expected to begin its work very soon.
How Islami Andolon plans to utilize the situation?
Sources within the Islami Shashantantra Andolan claim that Mufti Faizul Karim received over 27,000 votes in the Barisal-5 seat (which includes the Sadar Upazila and City Corporation region) during the national elections of 2008. He will likely run again in the next election for this position. But then all of a sudden, the party nominated Rezaul Karim’s brother, and the senior Naib Amir of the party, Mufti Faizul Karim. This dramatics in candidate nomination is puzzling to political experts and even some Awami League officials.
They believe Faizul Karim’s surprise nomination is an attempt to capitalize on tensions between incumbent Mayor Sadiq Abdullah and his uncle, Awami League candidate Abul Khair Abdullah. Perhaps the party received the go-ahead from another party to nominate a more senior member of the party, such as Mufti Faizul Karim, at the last minute.
A representative for the Barisal’s Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik committee, Rafiqul Alam, has stated that the election is largely a matter of strategy. Candidates and parties will undoubtedly try to gain an advantage in this conflict. It’s hardly shocking that the Islamic movement is capitalizing on the uproar over the Awami League’s candidate nomination in Barisal. This internal strife within the ruling party was used by BNP earlier in 2013.
If the Awami League in Barisal is not solidified before the election, Charmonai Peer’s Islami Andolon Bangladesh could end up surprising a lot of people. Since Mufti Syed Faizul Karim, the BNP candidate would be campaigning in Barisal, the city is renowned for being the party’s base. Supporting the Awami League from abroad is also not an implausible plan in the event of an internal dispute.
It has been said that the Islami Shashantantra Andolan plans to use the opportunity presented by the Awami League’s different conflict-groupings in Barisal City to obtain an electoral advantage. Charmonai Pir’s younger brother, senior Naib Amir Mufti Syed Muhammad Faizul Karim, was recently named as the party’s mayoral candidate in the upcoming Barisal city elections, putting an end to months of rumors and uncertainty. This is why the party’s officials and activists are confident this year’s election in Barisal City will be different.
