Why do you doubt the local government election, what is the government saying?

Since the July movement, a kind of deadlock has been going on in the local government administration of the country. With the fall of the former head of government Sheikh Hasina in the face of the movement, the local administration collapsed.

At that time, some of the representatives in charge of city corporation or district council were attacked, some were arrested, and many went into hiding.

As a result, a vacuum is created in the local government administration.

Later, the interim government appointed government officials as administrators in the city corporation, district council, municipality and upazila council in order to reactivate the local government administration.

Apart from this, among the nearly 4500 Union Parishads of the country, some government officials and some other panel chairpersons perform their duties.

Although efforts were made to deal with the situation immediately through these measures, there are questions as to how useful the initiative of the interim government has been.

Analysts believe that the interim system that lasted for one and a half years and the overall political context of the country has created a deadlock in the local administration.

As a result, they feel that the government should quickly elect local public representatives to ensure the services of the common people.

Political analyst Mohiuddin Ahmad told BBC Bangla, “The popularity of the government will decrease if they cannot organize local government elections soon.”

Apart from this, Mr. Ahmad

He says, “Partialization in local government is inconsistent with the aspirations of the July Charter. It can have a negative impact on the government.”

Apart from this, various discussions and criticisms are going on about the way the government has appointed party leaders in the local administration after the elections.

Election expert Abdul Alim, however, says that appointing an administrator is not illegal, the elected political party can take the decision as it likes.

“But an elected representative of the people and someone else’s nominee is not the same thing. An elected representative has a responsibility to the people, which in many cases an appointed administrator may not have,” he told BBC Bengal.

Mr. Alim says, “We are hoping for some kind of change after the July Movement. Hopefully the government will not interfere in the local government elections like in the past.”

Local government elections have been one of the most discussed issues since the new government assumed office.

In particular, the opposition parties in the parliament have been demanding local government elections as soon as possible.

A positive message has also been given by the government. Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Machud said in a recent event that all preparations will be made for the local government elections after Eid.

But some of the government’s recent moves have raised some doubts about local government elections among opposition political parties.

A few days ago, the government appointed administrators in 11 city corporations and 42 district councils of the country, where all the appointees are involved in BNP’s party politics.

Jamaat-e-Islami and Jatiya Nagrik Party have issued separate statements protesting this.

They say that BNP is trying to take control of the local government system by appointing party leaders as administrators at various levels of local government including city corporation.

Opposition parties are also seeing this move as an attempt to organize local government elections ‘as per their convenience’.

Amir Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and Naib of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, told BBC Bangla, “The way party people are being installed in the local administration can create a crisis of people’s trust in the government.”

He also thinks that the government is trying to delay the elections by taking a position against the wishes of the people.

“Our request to the government is to give the local government elections in a short period of time,” said Mr. Taher.

He also said that the opposition parties will give field programs if necessary to realize the demands of the elections as soon as possible.

BNP Secretary General and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told BBC Bangla that the government has decided to appoint administrators to keep the local administration running before the elections.

In this case, he also claimed that the government has no other intention.

“Various misconceptions are being written. No more administrators will be appointed later, elections will be held in all of them,” said Mr. Alamgir.

When the government wants to organize local government elections? In response to such a question, the minister said, “The government will take three months to organize the elections.”

He told BBC Bangla, “There will be no election, the election will definitely be held. But there is no plan to do it at the moment, we want to take some time. However, we can take at most three months.”

Mr. about the election plan. Alamgir said that the government wants to start the local government elections with the Union Parishad. After that, upazila and municipal elections will be held successively.

“Union Parishad elections will be held first. Upazilas and municipalities will follow. Administrators have been appointed in Zilla Parishads and elections will be held a little later,” he told BBC Bangla.