Money, muscle and mayhem: Turbulent start to Bangladesh elections

New Delhi, Feb 12 : Ahead of the elections in Bangladesh, the first since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime, Intelligence agencies had warned of widespread violence. On expected lines, a wave of violence has been reported as polling began in the country today.

Officials closely watching the developments say there is every chance this will end on a bitter note. Early Thursday morning, a leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was stabbed, following which there were clashes. The BNP is also accusing the Jamaat-e-Islami of trying to buy voters. The allegation was made after a Jamaat leader was caught with 74 lakh takas and was unable to explain what he was doing with it.

Not just the Jamaat, even the BNP workers have been caught with cash and have not been able to provide information about it. In Barisal’s Babuganj Upazila, two BNP workers were detained by the army after they were caught with 102,000 Taka in cash. They even had election slips on them, the army said, while adding that it was operating professionally to ensure that the polls were held smoothly.

An Intelligence Bureau official says that attempts would be made by both parties to incite violence, depending on how the elections are going. Although there are over 50 parties in the fray, the battle is a direct one between the BNP and Jamaat. For the Jamaat, this is an important election and opinion polls have suggested that the party may just be in with a chance to win the polls.

However, the battle now looks like a close one. Both parties are trying to outdo each other and hence are trying to incite violence where they feel that they are not in with a chance. There is also a lot of money that is floating around to purchase votes, officials say.

In Old Dhaka, Md Habib, a Jamaat leader, was arrested after he was found to be distributing cash to the voters. In Shariatpur, the forces detained another Jamaat leader after 750,000 Taka was found on him. The forces suspect that he was trying to distribute the money in a bid to buy votes. In Lakshmipur, the law enforcement agencies have seized 1.5 million Taka from a vehicle linked to a ladder from the Krishak Dal. In Thakurgaon-3, two leaders of the Jatiya Party were fined for doling out money to the voters.

Another official said that as the day progresses, the parties would get a fair idea as to how the elections would shape up. That would be a crucial period because the chances of violence would be very high, as the losing party would try to instigate people. Parties have also been trying to threaten voters against casting their ballots. A bomb explosion was reported near polling centres in Gopalganj. This was clearly an attempt to frighten the voters, officials say.

Adding to vote theft, violence and cash for votes, reports of the minority community being threatened have also surfaced. In the run-up to the elections, both the BNP and the Jamaat had promised that the minorities would be protected. Bangladesh watchers say that the Hindus, who are the minority community in the country, are crucial as they provide the swing factor. Although the Jamaat has assured them of their safety, there is a very thin chance that the Hindus would vote for the party. They are leaning towards the BNP, and the Jamaat is aware of this and hence is trying to threaten them, the experts say.

In the Khulna-5 constituency, allegations of voter intimidation are being made. A local Jamaat leader was accused of threatening the Hindu voters with a warning not to vote for the BNP or any other party. Officials say that in the run-up to the elections, a plan was set into motion whereby attempts would be made to disrupt the elections in case the Jamaat was not in with a chance. The security forces are on high alert and are taking every measure to ensure that the elections are conducted smoothly and the process remains free and fair.