The New Nation - Internet Edition

Talha Bin Habib

After suffering a disastrous defeat in the just concluded parliamentary elections, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is making all out preparations for contesting the upcoming upazila elections to be held on January 22.

The BNP has formed ' upazila election monitoring committee' to supervise and monitor the overall preparations for the polls. The committee is holding meeting regularly for reviewing the preparations for the polls.

The committee is also providing guidelines to the contestants for the elections.

Party sources said the decision to participate in the fray is considered to be a move to activate the disheartened activists of the party following the poor show in the parliamentary elections.

Addressing an election rally in Noakhali-1 the party chairperson Begum Zia on Friday urged the party men to take all-out preparations for the upazila polls.

" We have decided to contest the upazila polls since BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia directed the leaders and activists of the party to get prepared for it ," said a member of upazila election monitoring committee.

He said the BNP had suffered a defeat in the controversial parliamentary polls and it will try its best to regain its image by bagging maximum posts in the upazila elections. " Many worthy and honest party men are in the upazila polls this time, so that BNP can achieve maximum seats in the local-body elections," said Ruhul Kabir Rizi Ahmed, office secretary of the party.

About media reports on withdrawal of candidatures by pro-BNP candidates on the party's central body directive, he said, 'It's totally baseless".

He alleged that party aspirants in some upzaila were forced to withdraw their candidature by their rival party.

He called upon the local administration to remain neutral and take action against the evil-doers.

Replying to a question on how many candidates from the party are contesting in the polls he said 481 candidates would contest for the polls.

The Election Commission (EC) has decided to deploy army during the upazila polls to avert any untoward situation and ensure elections free from 'rigging and violence'.