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BNP grassroots press top leadership for joining elections

Staff Correspondent
The BNP leadership appears to be under growing pressure from the grassroots to participate in the August 4 polls to city corporations and municipalities.
Archrival Awami League's (AL) decision to contest the local elections has .complicated matters further. The prevalent view among the BNP ranks is the party would lose ground in local politics if it chooses to boycott the polls now, said insiders.
A group led by Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain however remains opposed
to taking part in the elections.
Against this backdrop, the BNP-led four-party alliance meets today and a formal decision on the issue is likely to come out.
Some leaders of the coalition said the forthcoming elections will top the agenda for today's meeting to be held at Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) Chairman Andalib Rahman Partha's Baridhara residence.
Release of all political leaders including Khaleda Zia and her two sons will also come up for discussion.
Talking to The Daily Star last
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night, Partha said, "We will discuss all key issues including the local government elections. 1 hope public sentiment would be reflected in the decisions to come."
Earlier on Tuesday, detained BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia said she would consent to whatever the four-party alliance would decide on the local body polls.
Secretaries general of BNP and Jamaat-e-lslami have all along been saying that they would not accept any election before the long-stalled parliamentary polls.
Sources said Khandaker Delwar will apprise the chairperson of today's meeting and deliberations when the former prime minister appears before a court for hearing tomorrow. And the decision on die polls will be final following what she says, they added.
In the last few days, a good number of grassroots level leaders have met Delwar and urged him to work towards a consensus among the allies in favour of participation in the elections to four city corporationsand nine municipalities.
"Leaders at division- and district-levels fear they might drop behind if the party keeps off the polls and that is why they are putting pressure on the leadership to take a pro-election stance," a BNP leader told The Daily Star, requesting not to be named.
Meanwhile, sources close to local BNP units said if the party decides against participation many leaders might go on to defy the decision and run for the polls.
"Many have already registered their names as candidates and the high command must weigh their sentiment," a former lawmaker told The Daily Star.