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Victory eludes ’godfathers’ as outlaws fail to operate

AMANUR AMAN from southwestern region
People in south-western districts are happy as they could cast their votes in the recently held parliament election without any intimidation or violence, especially by outlawed party activists.
Consequently, quite a few 'political godfathers' who . used, the extremistslojjgpplls.. earlier, could not win this time, said political observers and locals.
“No outlaws were seen active to rig polls this time,” said Mohsin Ali, executive director of WAVE Foundation that worked as election observer in the December 29 elections and a few earlier elections.
During the previous years, underground parties were always a factor during elections in the region, said law enforcers, political observers and common people during this correspondent's recent visit to several districts in the region after the December 29 election.
Political leaders popularly known as 'godfathers' belonging to a few big political parties hired the outlaws to use them to influence the election, said a high police official seeking anonymity.
They would harass innocent people and threaten them to force them to cast their votes in favour of particularcandidates.
The 'godfathers' also set the extremist cadres against the opposition party men to drive them out from the area
so that they cannot carry out campaign for their candidate.
“We had to remain silent about our favourite candidate. We were even forced to cast our votes as per direction of the oudawed cadres to keep us safe,” said Nripen Chandra Sarath, a resident of Chuadanga town.
The criminals tortured them, looted their valuables -and forced them to-pay toll if any particular person failed to win in the poll, said trader Rajab Ali Malitha in Harara village in Kaliganj upazila in Jhenidah district.
A particular political party nominated, for the recently held election, a few godfathers in several constituencies in
Chuadanga, Rajbari, Magura, Jhenidah, Jessore, Narail, Bagerhat and Khulna districts, sources said. None of them, however, won.
The godfathers could not use the criminals this time as -five hundred alleged criminals . including many outlaws were killed in 'crossfire' with law enforcement agencies in • south-western region in last • fouryears, police sources said.
“The political godfathers could not use outlaws this time ' due to sharp vigilance by the law enforcement agencies," acting PIG of Khulna range,'. Asadauzzaman Mia said.
Besides, the criminals are no longer in a position to use their strength for rigging as most of their bosses were earlier killed, he said.
Following orders from higher authorities, intelligence agencies earlier prepared a list of 133 professional criminals and their political godfathers and sent it to ; higher authorities but none of • the 'godfathers' were arrested, . sources said.