Party favourites won chairmanship in nearly half of the unions in recent polls
The BNP high command considers the success at recent union parishad polls a big comeback for the party in grassroots politics as its favourites won chairmanship of about half of the unions across the country.
The party leaders say the elections came as a blessing as its local leaders, who were driven away from their areas by their rivals, are now returning to political activities.
Struggling for about the two and a half years since the last parliamentary elections debacle, the main opposition appears upbeat after upsetting its archrival Awami League in the local government polls as well as municipality elections in January.
BNP is now looking to enhance organisational strength and resolve internal feud to intensify the anti-government movement, party policymakers say.
Already, they said, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has declared that she would go for tougher actions to force the government into holding the next election under a non-partisan caretaker administration.
A senior party man said the movement will unify BNP leaders across the country, contributing to its victory in the next general elections.
With confidence boosted by the recent polls victories, the party will try their best to score a win in the upcoming Dhaka City Corporation elections, the leaders added.
As per unofficial count collected from different sources including BNP central office, the party-backed candidates won in at least 1,535 unions in the elections held between May 31 and July 7. While ruling Awami League favourites prevailed in about 1,855 unions.
Of the 3,754 unions, polls results in 3,723 unions have so far been declared and been suspended in the rest.
Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, a member of BNP standing committee, claimed that like the municipal polls, results of the union parishad elections proved that the government lost popularity.
“BNP supporters could have won in more unions if the elections were held in a free and fair manner across the country,” he told The Daily Star. Ruling party leaders snatched victory in many unions using administrative influence with the help of local lawmakers.
BNP leaders are also happy as the party-backed candidates gained upperhand in most of the unions adjacent to the capital.
In the municipal polls, AL-blessed candidates securing 88 mayoral posts were behind BNP-backed candidates who bagged 92 posts, according to election results of 236 municipalities.
-With The Daily Star input
