10th JS polls to see lowest number of contestants
The 10th Parliament is going to be dominated by MPs who are being elected unopposed. Though this is technically correct, as far as government formation is concerned, nevertheless, it would not properly reflect the mandate of the people and the public voice, sources said. According to the Election Commission (EC), at least 151 candidates are set to be elected unopposed. Among them, 126 candidates are from the ruling Awami League (AL), 18 are from the Jatiya Party (Ershad), three are from the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), two are from the Workers’ Party, and one from Jatiya Party (Monju). This clearly shows that the 10th Jatiya Sangshad polls would see the lowest number of contesting candidates.
“This is the lowest ever participation of candidates. At this moment (6 pm on Saturday), we can say that at least 151 of them are set to be elected unopposed, breaking the record of the poll held on February 15, 1996,” a senior official of the EC said.
Sushasoner Jonno Nagorik (Sujan) secretary Badiul Alam Mazumder said, “It is a selection, not an election at all.” He added that the government and the EC have made the 10th Parliamentary poll a mere selection process under the current Constitution. “They are going to make history, albeit in a negative sense; this sends out a bad signal for the sustainability of democracy in the country,” he noted.
“We can compare this election with the poll held on 15 February 1996. The election loses its gloss and the festive mood which is usually generated, which the people want to enjoy once every five years,” former election commissioner, Brigadier-General (retd) Shakhawat Hossain, observed.
According to the EC secretariat, a total of 1,107 candidates submitted nomination papers. After scrutiny and withdrawal of nomination papers, the number of valid candidates is 540.
“We are yet to get the final report from three districts. I can’t comment on the issue. The commission will sit to discuss the matter tomorrow,” election commissioner Md Shah Nawaz told The Independent.
According to the EC secretariat, in the February 15 1996 election, 49 candidates nominated by the then ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) were elected unopposed. The Awami League, Jatiya Party, Jamaat-e-Islami and other parties boycotted the poll.
In the polls held in 1986, 1991, June 1996, 2001 and 2008, no one was elected unopposed. The EC official noted that those who are going to be elected unchallenged, have mostly been nominated by the ruling Awami League. They include party stalwarts such as Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, AMA Muhith, Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Syed Ashraful Islam, Obaidul Quader, Jahangir Kabir Nanok, Dr Hasan Mahamud and former home minister, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, and controversial leader Shamim Osman of Narayanganj.
JP (Manju) chief Anwar Hossain Manju, who became an adviser to the Prime Minister last month, looks set to be elected unopposed from his home district Pirojpur. Another leader of his party, Nurul Islam Talukdar, will not face any rival in his constituency Bogra, a bastion of the BNP.
However, the names of Jatiya Party chief HM Ershad and other leaders are still on the list of candidates. According to this list, Ershad is contesting from Rangpur-3 and Lalmonirhat-1, GM Quader is contesting from Lalmonirhat-3, Rawshan Ershad from Mymensingh-4, and Ruhul Amin Hawlader from Barisal-6 constituency.
Workers’ Party leader Fazle Hossain Badsha is also on the list of those who can expect to be elected without
any contest—his constituency is Rajshahi-2.
EC sources said 11 candidates were elected uncontested in each of the 1973 and 1979 polls, 18 in another farcical election held by the Ershad regime in 1988, and 22 in the cancelled Parliamentary poll slated for January 22, 2007.
-With The Independent input
