Awami League (AL) joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said the results of mayoral elections in the four city corporations would not have any impact in the national election. “The city corporation elections are not political elections. The people have given their verdict considering the work of the candidates. So, it would not put any impact on the parliamentary polls,” he told reporters at his office in the city on Sunday.
Congratulating the elected mayors, he said, “The distance between candidates and people is the cause behind the loss of the 14-party candidates.”
He, however, said that the city corporation polls have proved that elections can be held in a free and fair manner under the leadership of the grand alliance government and prime minister Sheikh Hasina. He also said that all political parties should learn from the mayoral elections in the four city corporations and nominate candidates carefully in the upcoming national election.
Meanwhile, workers party president Rashed Khan Menon said the defeat of the grand alliance backed candidates in the mayoral election is a warning for the ruling AL government.
“The defeat of the AL-backed candidates in the city corporation elections is a warning for the government, but not a no-confidence of the people. The government has to take cautious steps, respecting public opinion,” he observed at the BBC Songlap held at the Bangla Academy auditorium in the city.
He further said, “Though city elections were local polls they serve not only for local development but also play a key role in national politics. However, we have been able to hold free and fair elections as part of the commitment of the grand alliance government.” Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain said, “The city corporation elections saw too much politicisation. Thus the grand alliance backed candidates had to pay. I have seen that many of their mayors have tried but they did not pay much heed to the local issues. The local issues being more important to the people became Lilliputian compared to the partisan influence which outweighed everything else.”
-With The Independent input
