Gazipur city polls: What worked for the mother-son duo and what didn't for Azmat

Awami League's defeat in the recently held Gazipur city polls, with the all-important national election just months away, does raise a lot of questions, and worries for the ruling party.

This has prompted political analysts to look for what went wrong for its candidate Azmat Ullah Khan and what clicked for former mayor Zahangir Alam and his mother Zaida Khatun.

The mother-son duo, during their election campaign, were subject to attacks reportedly carried out by ruling party activists. Their supporters and polling agents also had to face, and endure various forms of harassment. 

According to political analysts, such incidents quite effectively evoked sympathy among the masses and influenced their voting decisions. Also, a large number of Awami League-backed councillors, who played a vital role in bringing voters to the polling booths, supported and voted for Zaida.

During his tenure as mayor, Zahangir spearheaded significant development projects in Gazipur, but progress stalled after his removal from office. His commitment to overseeing development projects, sometimes in adverse weather conditions, resonated with young voters, particularly those working in the RMG sector and low-income people.

Zahangir not only commanded the support of local, root-level Awami League leaders and activists but also fostered good ties with BNP during his term as mayor. This resulted in Zaida securing votes from BNP's vote bank. Besides, Jatiya Party (JaPa) nominated candidate MM Niaz Uddin failed to secure the expected number of votes, which did not allow the votes for Zaida to get saturated.

A source closely associated with Gazipur Awami League, while speaking with The Business Standard seeking anonymity, said that the poll results in the Gacha and Tongi areas contributed significantly to the party's defeat. Otherwise considered as ruling party strongholds, the local leaders and activists of these two areas actively worked for Zahangir. Even those who said that they would work for Azmat secretly supported the former mayor and his mother.

Also, strict measures taken by the election authorities, in the backdrop of the new US visa policy aimed to promote democracy in Bangladesh, prevented ruling party men from occupying polling stations or influencing voting.

Contacted, Gazipur city Awami League General Secretary Ataullah Mondal said, "We intend to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the election results, including the issues, reasons, and challenges encountered. 

"This analysis will help us identify any shortcomings and areas to improve. While changes in strategies are being considered, it is important that we have a thorough understanding of the problems before taking any measures. "

Despite the defeat, Awami League remains determined to ensure free and fair elections and is committed to addressing any concerns within the party for future success, he added.

Zahangir was permanently expelled from his party, the ruling Awami League, on 15 May after his nomination was cancelled on 1 May by the Election Commission (EC). This led him to bring his mother into the fold who has now dealt the ruling party a heavy blow with the support of Gazipur residents despite all the obstacles put forth.

Independent candidate Zaida Khatun won the election by receiving 238,934 votes. Her closest rival, Azmat Ullah, received 222,737 votes.