Number of Ivy's in the Awami League

Many questions were answered in the Narayanganj city election. The country returned to the voting festival through the election on January 16. Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukder even said that Narayanganj city election is the best election under the present commission. The festive election campaign continued for 17 days. One side did not attack the other with dirty, ugly obscene language. No one tore down anyone's poster. No opposition was attacked during the election campaign. There were no serious allegations of being biased against the administration. As a result, voters cast their votes peacefully in a row on polling day. Some errors, including unfamiliarity with the EVM, did not diminish the celebration of the vote at all. In any case, Narayanganj city election will be recognized as a model election. This election has proved that a free, fair and neutral election is possible if the commission, administration, candidates and political parties want it.

Many debates and questions about the electoral system of Bangladesh since the 2018 parliamentary elections. After that election, the voters became averse to election. Many ruling party candidates desired to win without voting. They used money or influence to force the opponent to withdraw from the election. A contagious disorder of electing people without voting spread across the country. A scattering of rebel candidates was seen in the Union Parishad elections. The Awami League became the opponent of the Awami League.

Allegations arose of widespread nomination trade. In different places, hybrid candidates, infiltrators, BNP-Jamaat and even children of war criminals got nominations. The MPs did their best to nominate their 'My Man' candidates. Where the MP's loyalists did not get the 'boat' symbol, they were nominated as rebels. In the Union Parishad elections, the Awami League candidates gradually got cornered. And going to the fifth round of elections, it is seen that the Awami League is on the back foot. In one hand, the reluctance of the common people towards the electoral system and on the other hand, the miserable condition of the Awami League. In such a situation Narayanganj city election was held. So, the Awami League had to prove a lot in this election. I would like to call this election a sample survey. Narayanganj became a testing ground to see how much public support there is for the Awami League. The Narayanganj city election was an election to test whether people dislike a party or candidate for being in power for a long time.

In a speech during the Union Parishad elections, the BNP secretary general said, "Awami League has zero public support." Iqbal Mahmud Tuku, an important leader of the BNP, said at the same public meeting, "It is only a matter of time before the mass explosion against the Awami League." The Awami League was supposed to be defeated in the Narayanganj election, if there was minimum truth in the statement of the BNP leader. BNP leader Gayeshwar Chandra Roy said, "If there is a neutral election, the Awami League will not find a way to escape." In the midst of such talk, Taimur Alam Khandaker made the Narayanganj city election quite interesting. He declared himself a candidate and in the end contested as an independent candidate. This election was also a big test for the BNP. Since the Union Parishad elections, the BNP has been conducting an inspection on competing as in independent candidate without using party name. With this strategy, BNP is partially successful in the Union Parishad elections. In that election, BNP candidates were like water. The container they went to has taken the shape of that. Somewhere they have supported the rebel candidate of Awami League, somewhere they have supported Jamaat or any other party. And they have fought hard in areas where their strength is concentrated (such as Bogra).

It does not matter how many union councils the 'independent' candidates have won. In the wake of this election, the grassroots of BNP have been able to organize themselves. Probably, being inspired by the theory of 'A cat loves fishes but is loath to wet her feet' in the union parishad election the BNP made Taimur Alam Khandaker a scapegoat in Narayanganj. Or Taimur Alam Khandaker put his entire political life on bet. Notably, before the final result of the vote, Taimur Alam Khandaker was only given exemption from the post. If Taimur disobeyed the team's decision, he should have been expelled at the outset. But the BNP has done dirty politics with a long-serving leader. BNP waited till the election result. If Taimur Alam Khandaker had won this election dramatically, would the BNP have expelled him? Impossible. BNP leaders would have greeted him with garlands of flowers. It is easy to guess what the BNP leaders would have said then. BNP leaders would have said that the unpopularity of this government is proved in Narayanganj and if the Awami League candidate is defeated by an independent candidate, the government should resign now, and so on. Taimur Alam Khandaker was the only BNP candidate without a symbol. The whole party was behind him. Taimur Alam went to the polls calculating all the political aspects. He knew that Narayanganj Awami League was divided. Awami League's Selina Hayat Ivy will not get partial votes. Taimur knew that Ivy has been in charge of the municipality and city corporation since 2003. In places like Narayanganj, many voters will not vote for a person who has been in power for 19 years. People gets bored if someone stays in power for a long period of time. It is not possible to make everyone happy. People are inclined towards change. Combining these two accounts, Taimur entered the election field. He may have thought like the civil society of Bangladesh; this election will also be tarnished. The Awami League will use the administration to win. The poster of the elephant symbol will be torn down. Others will not be allowed to enter the field during the campaign. As a result, the election, tainted by accusations of victory or fraud, will further brighten Taimur's political chapter. I have heard such accounts from many people before the election. Taimur Alam Khandaker has nothing to lose in this election. But did he know that he would lose everything after January 16?

This election was a complicated equation for the Awami League. The Awami League has fielded Selina Hayat Ivy with the challenge of making the election free, fair and neutral, and winning at the same time. If Ivy had been defeated, the country would have been flooded with words. Many whispers that the Awami League does not have minimum popularity now. After the election, such conversations would have held with a bang. Disagreements and divisions in the Awami League are now being talked about openly. Especially after the Union Parishad elections, it is being said that Awami League itself is enough to defeat Awami League. This statement would have been established if Ivy had been defeated. The Awami League president also knew that this election was challenging. The boat has to be won without controversy. That is why he handed over the responsibility of conducting the election to the hands of two most tested leaders. Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Mirza Azam. These are two souls always devoted to the party. In 2001, during the difficult times of the Awami League, they played a strong role in turning the party around. They never compromised on the question of the interests of the party. Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Mirza Azam added a few more leaders. Abdur Rahman, Bahauddin Nasim, SM Kamal joined the election team and started the era of new leadership of Awami League. Nanak-Ajmara is an influential leader of the ruling party. If they wanted, they could have thwarted the election at the beginning. If they had instructed the workers of Narayanganj Awami League, not to allow other candidate to enter the field for campaigning - then could this administration, this Election Commission do anything? No. If the Nanak Azam team had decided that the boat candidate would have to win the election in any way, would Narayanganj election environment have been so festive and colorful? Free, fair and impartial elections in any country depend a lot on the goodwill and aspirations of the ruling party. It is almost impossible for the administration and the Election Commission to hold free, fair and impartial elections if the ruling party does not want it. This election has proved that the Awami League president wants a free and fair election. The central team of Awami League led by Jahangir Kabir Nanak is working to realize his aspirations. The team was more interested in winning the election fairly than in influencing the administration and inventing vote rigging tactics. That's the way they plan. That's the way they planned. The team knew that the main obstacle to Ivy's victory was the Awami League's Internal strife. For this reason, they have worked diligently and hard to settle the Awami League's quarrel. They gave the first message by canceling the committee of Narayanganj Chhatra League. Then Shamim Osman's press conference. Before the election, Narayanganj Awami League was built by a five-member central team. I think this is their biggest achievement.

This election was a difficult challenge for Awami League candidate Selina Hayat Ivy. In 2003, she was elected as the mayor of the municipality in an unfavorable situation. BNP-Jamaat alliance was in power that time. It was harder to win this election than it was to win that election. Of these, Narayanganj was upgraded from a municipality to a city corporation. After becoming a city corporation, she won both the elections of 2011 and 2016. In a country where people don't watch a TV channel for long. Change the channel from time to time by pressing the remote control. In a country where the appearance of the people's representative, the dress and even the swelling of his relatives are the subject of public scrutiny. It is not easy for a woman to be the mayor for the third time in that country. But Ivy has created a different image of her in Narayanganj. She did not allow the relationship with the people to become loose. The people of Narayanganj think that she is a fighter, brave and honest. She has made some visible improvements in Narayanganj City Corporation. People trust her. In one hand, the Central Election Management Team Narayanganj has stopped the internal public quarrels of the Awami League, on the other hand, the image of Ivy, the victory of the Awami League in Narayanganj has been facilitated by the combination of these two. The Awami League has gained the most in other places through this election. The Awami League has got the formula to win the next election through Narayanganj election. Sheikh Hasina's image, development, united Awami League and worthy candidates like Ivy, the Awami League can win the next election only if these four pillars can be matched at one point. There is no need for an election commission like Huda to win the next election. There is no need for them to follow the whims of the bureaucrats in the hope that they will help win the election. There is no need to worry that the electoral dilemma can be overcome if the DCs are in favor. A united and strong organization and qualified candidates can make the next election easier for the Awami League. Especially the development that the Awami League has made in last 13 years is amazing. Sheikh Hasina's popularity is unquestionable. This year mega projects like Padma Bridge, Metro Rail, Karnafuli Tunnel will be visible. All this will be the biggest advertisement for Awami League. The Awami League may be able to overcome its disunity and division. Because every worker has confidence in the Awami League president. But how many qualified candidates like Ivy are there? The Awami League had to pay the price of the wrong candidate in the Union Parishad elections. The boat (Nauka) sank in an Awami-populated area like Faridpur. An indication of the dire consequences of giving party symbols to unqualified candidates has been found in the Union Parishad elections. How many MPs of the Awami League keep good relations with the people? How many have kept themselves away from corruption? The Awami League has to face this question. The Awami League has more than two dozen MPs who have been elected MPs twice in the past, but do not know what vote is. They dream of becoming a hat-trick MP without voting. A former bureaucrat has become an MP in a district known as the vote bank of the Awami League. He does not go to the area. Don't talk to people. They get angry if someone don’t address them by sir. There are many such examples. There are heaps of allegations against MPs including recruitment trade, tender trade. An MP in Parliament said that postman so not respect the MPs. If the MP can't earn respect with his personality, then It can’t be distributed like a relief wave. How many MPs can say with their hands on heart about their sweet relationship with the people. He is ready to do everything for the people. The people's representatives who think that the post of MP is a money-making machine will always find a way to cheat if they get re-nominated. They don’t have the image to go to people and ask for votes. That is why they would love to become MPs again without voting. Or they will try to use the administration to manipulate the vote. The question may arise, isn’t there any qualified candidate in the Awami League? Number of honest, people-friendly leader like Ivy has declined in Awami League? Of course not. There are many like Ivy in the Awami League. There are many people friendly, popular people in Awami League who are respected by the people regardless of their title and position. Finding them out is the biggest challenge in the next election for Awami League. And for those who think that they will become MP again by doing nothing like in 2014 or 2018, nothing is safe in their hands. Not the area, the country or even the Awami League. They probably don't know that immortal quote of Karl Marx. Marx once said, "History does not repeat itself in the same way."