Dhaka, Dec 6 (BDNEWS) – Monday's election debacle by Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Aftab Uddin Mollah in the Dinajpur-1 by-poll raised eyebrows among many senior BNP leaders as they see it as a "bad signal" for the 4-party alliance.
New political calculations have begun in the ruling alliance as soon as the election ended peacefully with independent candidate Manoranjan Shil Gopal won the race.
Gopal clinched the Dinajpur-1 by-poll defeating his nearest rival coalition candidate Aftab Uddin Mollah by a huge margin as the seat fell vacant after Jamaat central leader and lawmaker of four-party coalition Abdullah Al Kafi died on September 12.
Despite the fact that the main opposition party Awami League boycotted the by-election, grassroots level leaders and workers extended their supports for the independent candidate, who defeated the Jamaat candidate by 62,401 votes.
According to the unofficial results from the Election Commission (EC), Gopal polled 112,977 votes while Aftab gained 50, 576 votes.
In this constituency Abdullah Al Kafi had won the race in the 2001 general elections with a margin of nearly 30,000 votes, defeating Awami League candidate Abdur Rouf Chowdhury. Awami League had been plagued with internal feuding at that time, undermining its popularity in a constituency normally inclined towards pro-liberation forces, according to local sources.
But this time the election victory by Gopal has not only added a new dimension in the politics of Dinajpur, it has also sent a message to the national political leaders.
Facing the still unmanageable militancy problem, many BNP central leaders feel
that a large political party like BNP should not take responsibility for "misdeeds" by others, including the Jamaat-e-Islami, whom the opposition Awami League accuses of patronising the Jama'atul Mujahedin Bangladesh (JMB).
A mid-ranking BNP leader told BDNEWS that people are quietly observing the situation and they are now identifying those who can help the militants. "If it is Jamaat-e-Islami, why should the BNP take responsibility. If it is not Jamaat, why is there no serious crackdown on the militants?" asked the BNP leader who seemed confused about his party's stance on the issue of militancy.
Last month former BNP lawmaker Abu Hena spoke against the militancy issue and uttered names of some ministers for patronising the militants. BNP expelled him on the grounds of violating organisational discipline. However, no steps are visible yet against those whose names were mentioned by Abu Hena.
Despite the fact that Tarique Rahman, the first joint-secretary general, organised the party at the grassroots level, there are still apprehension that the party might face trouble from the silent voters.
In the meantime, Manoranjan Shil Gopal telephoned Leader of the Opposition and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina Tuesday morning and thanked her for his win.
Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh plans to demand 70 seats, double the number at the last elections, to nominate its candidates in the next general elections. Young BNP leaders are closely monitoring their steps and may take a strong stand against such a move, sources said.
Jamaat sources said the party is advancing in a well-planned way to double the number of seats it would put up candidates in the next general elections. A total of 18 candidates out of 224 nominations won under the ticket of Jamaat in the general elections of 1991, only two out of 224 in 1996 and in the last general elections Jamaat bagged 16 seats contesting in 29 constituencies as a partner of the four-party alliance.
Jamaat high command thinks that Jamaat-dependent BNP would be bound to make large-scale concessions to them. Jamaat's Assistant Secretary General Qamaruzzaman earlier told BDNEWS that they made several concessions in the last general elections considering the interest of the alliance. "This time our position is good as the leaders and workers expect more seats in the next general elections," he added.
However, the defeat of the Jamaat candidate in the Dinajpur-1 by-election has put fresh thoughts in the BNP leadership whether they would entertain such a plea from its ally.
BDNEWS/2036 hrs