In the upcoming 12th National Assembly elections, most political parties, including the main opposition BNP, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and Islami Andolan, are not participating. With this situation, the Awami League opted to field its leaders as independent candidates, alongside their endorsement as AL candidates. However, this decision has been deemed detrimental to the party. As the parliamentary elections approach, clashes persist in the election campaigns between ruling Awami League-backed candidates and independent Awami League candidates.
The Awami League didn't remove independent candidates to ensure a seemingly competitive election; instead, it caused a split between party and independent candidates. This internal division has escalated into a crisis. Since the start of the campaign, attacks and clashes have become daily occurrences, leading to numerous casualties. Supporters of independent candidates are attacking boat candidate supporters in some areas, while boat supporters are targeting independent candidate workers in others. These incidents persist despite strict warnings from the Awami League's high command. Over the last eight days, more than two hundred people were injured, and three lost their lives in several violent episodes. Consequently, it's the Awami League that's suffering at the grassroots due to this election violence.
The BNP leaders are warning of escalating conflicts nationwide in the days ahead among the Awami League supporters, heightening threats daily. Already, three casualties have occurred, and they anticipate further clashes as election day nears. Their conflict not only involves them but also impacts the general public. To boost voter turnout, Awami League candidates are allegedly taking away the social safety net cards of the local poor population, with the warning that the cards will not be given back if they do not vote. There are even threats of disconnecting power lines. Even the efforts of the Prime Minister to ensure participatory elections volatile the situation, risking harm to both parties and innocent bystanders.
On December 24, Eskender Khan (70) was fatally attacked in the Madaripur-3 constituency. He was the son of the late Amir Hossain Khan, residing in the Vatabali area of Laxmipur Union in Kalkini Upazila. He was a member of the Awami League in Ward No. 8. Investigations revealed that Eskender Khan and a group went for a morning stroll on the street in front of their house. During this time, supporters of the boat candidate and former chairman of Laxmipur Union Parishad, Fazlul Haque Bepari, launched an attack, injuring him severely, including cutting leg veins. Another person also got hurt in the altercation. Both injured individuals were taken to Sher-e Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barisal, where Eskander succumbed to his injuries.
Abdus Sobhan Golap, the Awami League candidate for Madaripur-3, is the party's central committee's publicity and publication affairs secretary, currently serving as a Member of Parliament. Tahmina Begum, a Member of Parliament for a reserved women's seat and president of Kalkini Upazila Awami League, has entered the race as an independent candidate for the same seat. Reports suggest that the deceased Eskender was an employee of Tahmina Begum. However, Fazlul Haque, an activist supporting Abdus Sobhan, informed reporters that the incident stemmed from a land dispute between Iskandar and his cousins. He stated that neither he nor the boat candidate was involved in this altercation.
The police, including Officer-in-Charge (OC) Nazmul Hasan from Kalkini Police Station, have also indicated that the attack resulted from a land dispute. OC Nazmul Hasan mentioned to reporters that the incident remains under investigation by the police.
Milan Khan, the son of the deceased and an independent candidate, Tahmina Begum, asserted that he was killed as a result of an election dispute. Milan stated, "My father was a worker for the Eagle Marker (symbol of Tahmina Begum). He attended the rally. The supporters of the Boat's candidate killed him." Following the news of Iskandar Khan's killing, tensions escalated between supporters of the Eagle and Boat symbols. To manage the situation, additional police were dispatched to the area.
On December 19, a dispute regarding establishing the election campaign centre of Aminul Haque, an independent candidate of the Awami League in Mymensingh Sadar Upazila, killed Rafiqul Islam (52). Despite the police categorizing the incident as a family dispute, local Sirta Union Parishad chairman Abu Saeed informed reporters that Rafiqul died during a clash while constructing a campaign centre for the candidate.
On December 12, Lalon Fakir (27), a supporter of the Awami League's independent candidate, passed away during treatment in Dhaka after sustaining injuries in a clash. This altercation involved supporters of Awami League-backed candidate Sh Rezaul Karim and the party's independent candidate, district Awami League president AKMA Awal. While the opposition attributed responsibility to Rezaul Karim, the current Member of Parliament and Minister of Fisheries and Livestock, he denied these allegations.
The issue of overnight voting has surfaced recently. A video circulating on social media features a speech by a Maheshkhali Awami League leader, Azizul Haque, addressing the local member of Parliament. In the video, he mentions that Ashek Ullah Rafiq was declared the Member of Parliament for Cox's Bazar-2 (Maheshkhali-Qutubdia) in the 2018 11th National Parliament Election at midnight the day before.
Ashek Ullah has consecutively served as the Member of Parliament for this seat under the Awami League banner in the last two elections. Once again, he's running with the boat symbol representing the party. Meanwhile, Azizul Haque held the position of agricultural affairs secretary within the Maheshkhali Upazila Awami League. Although the president's and general secretary's names were announced a few months ago in the upazila conference, the committee's complete formation is pending. Azizul is the younger brother of Sirajul Mostafa, who serves as the Central Awami League religious affairs secretary and previously held the position of president in the Cox's Bazar district Awami League.
In the one-minute-five-second video, Azizul Haque mentions, “You, Ashek, were elected as an MP through Bikash during the first term (10th Parliament); there was no need to cast any votes. Then, during your second term (11th Parliament), we received the message at 12:01 am that you secured 60 per cent of the votes in every centre. Ashek, you were elected as an MP that time, too, with the votes collected at midnight."
AK Azad, an independent candidate in Faridpur, encountered an attack on his election camp last Tuesday. The incident occurred in the Mamudpur area, precisely in front of Grassroot College under ward 14 of Faridpur municipality, around 6:30 pm. Mubarak Khalifa, leading the assailants, vandalized AK Azad's camp and injured Abdur Rahman Janak, the coordinator for Ward 14's election campaign, during the altercation. Khalifa is identified as the Ward Councilor for No. 21 in Faridpur Municipality.
A member of the BNP executive committee remarked, “The conflict between ‘us’ and ‘dummy’ is intensifying as the election nears. The tensions between them are expected to escalate further. With the absence of a fair election, the situation could worsen. Already, three casualties have occurred, and the general public bears the brunt of these conflicts. Particularly concerning is the exploitation of social security cards meant for people in need, coercing them to vote on polling day. Furthermore, there are threats of disconnecting gas and electricity services, adding to the concerns surrounding the electoral process.”
A vice chairman of BNP expressed, "The upcoming election became an internal affair of AL. Whether boat candidates, independent candidates, or proxies, they belong to one party. Over the last 14 years, they've plundered the nation's wealth. The declared financial assets of these candidates in their affidavits reveal their exploitation of public resources. Essentially, the Awami League has fostered groups involved in looting across the country. The conflicts we witness are battles for their power, fights over their ill-gotten gains. People have suffered for so long; they're inflicting suffering upon themselves. The Awami League is facing internal turmoil. They're headed for self-destruction within this chaos."