The Awami League has not pressurised its dissidents to pull out of the District Council polls to keep it competitive as no other parties have fielded candidates, General Secretary Obaidul Quader told journalists in his office.Polls to elect chairmen, members and reserved members for the district councils are due on Wednesday.Voting at polling stations across 61 districts will start at 9am and end at 2pm.
Elected representatives of the local government bodies will vote in the elections.However, ruling party candidates in 21 districts have been already elected as there were no others candidates.The court had stayed the election in Kushtia where the candidate had been also elected unopposed.Replying to a query over rebel candidates, Road Transport Minister Quader said, “The opposition, including BNP and Jatiya Party, is not participating. We did not nominate candidates, only backed them.”He said, the party has instructed activists to work for the candidates it backed.”We did not pressurise party dissidents to step aside.”The senior Awami League leader said that the party’s stance over local MPs breaching the electoral code was “stern” “We have received some reports. I warn MPs that they cannot stay in their constituencies during the elections,” said Quader.The Election Commission said on Monday that they have asked ‘some’ MPs to leave their constituencies after allegations of breaching the code surfaced against them.
source:bdnews24.com
