Awami League adopted different strategies in three consecutive elections. His strategy in 2014 was to keep BNP away from the elections. In 2018, the ruling party entered into talks with the BNP. When our political parties talk, we do not get to hear the entire conversation happening behind the scenes. They don’t even reveal everything.
It is believed that the Awami League and BNP had reached an understanding behind the scenes before the 2018 elections. BNP had imagined that they would get a good number of seats in the Parliament. They got only six seats. This was not only a matter of disappointment for BNP but also a matter of insult. Hence there were fears within the BNP that if they held talks and joined the elections, there would be a repeat of 2018. There are logical reasons for BNP not participating in the elections this time. However, the question is, what did the BNP gain by not participating in the elections?
Awami League adopted a different strategy this time. Party candidates were asked to contest elections. Dummy candidates contested the elections. There was some agitation here, some violence broke out there, but overall the elections were conducted peacefully.
Awami League adopted three types of strategies in three consecutive elections, but BNP did not change its political strategy. Like before, they remained adamant on their processions, rallies, strikes, blockades and statements. The government cannot be changed in this way. In a country like ours, the most reliable, legitimate and constitutional way to change the government is elections.
However, elections are rigged under a partisan government. That’s common sense. There has been rigging in every election since the country’s independence. Even the elections held under the caretaker government were not rigged to that extent, but those who were in the government tried to rig the elections. He arranged things in such a way that His people could be elected. But the caretaker government often changed that chart.