Jamaat alleges government conspiring to delay UP polls

Jamaat-e-Islami has accused the government of deliberately delaying union parishad (UP) elections and appointing party-affiliated administrators to "gain control over the local government system".

In a statement issued to the media today, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar said people expected elected representatives to take charge of all tiers of local government after the country returned to a democratic path through the February 12 parliamentary election and referendum.

He alleged that the BNP-led government had been delaying local government elections while appointing administrators to city corporations, municipalities, upazila parishads and now UPs.

Citing Local Government Division data, Porwar said around 311 of more than 4,500 UPs were currently eligible for elections. He claimed at least 38 UPs, including seven newly formed ones, had administrators appointed over the past two months, with 19 of them in Barishal district.

He also alleged that 12 BNP leaders had been appointed as members of Rupganj UP in Narayanganj.

“This is part of a conspiracy aimed at obstructing the democratic process in the long run,” the Jamaat leader said.

Porwar said Local Government State Minister Mir Shahe Alam had announced that elections to five tiers of local government would be held this year. He questioned why administrators were still being appointed with only four months remaining in the year.

He alleged that the appointments could create opportunities for corruption and give the ruling party an unfair advantage in upcoming elections.

He demanded immediate withdrawal of all party-affiliated administrators and that they be barred from contesting the upcoming local government elections.