The ruling party Awami League (AL) faced a major setback going into election year 2023 in the latest round of municipal and union parishad elections - most notably in Rangpur. Bagha in Rajshahi, Birol in Dinajpur, Boda in Panchagarh, Alfadanga in Faridpur and Bonpara in Natore, on December 29. The AL-backed candidates were defeated in Bagha and Alfadanga. In 66 union parishad (UP) elections, independent candidates, many of them AL 'rebels', bagged more votes. Two days earlier, Jatiya Party-backed candidate won the Rangpur City Corporation election held on December 27. Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa, candidate of the Jatiya Party was re-elected with 1,46,798 votes for the post of mayor. What was shocking was that the Awami League candidate, Hosne Ara Lutfa (Dahlia), finished not second, not third, but fourth with 22,306 votes. Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said major organisational steps will be taken within a week after the failures of Awami League-backed candidates in Rangpur City Corporation elections. He was speaking with the media at the secretariat on Thursday. Quader said, “We did not interfere in the Rangpur election. We didn't try to move on. We are taking measures where there is weakness.” Regarding the election in municipalities and union parishads, he said, “It is a local government election. There are many things. Jatiya Party candidate was also ahead there.” Read more: Internal problems behind defeat of AL candidate in RCC election: Quader “We are taking major organisational measures regarding Rangpur polls within a week. The game will be played in the national elections.” In Rajshahi’s Bagha municipality election, AL 'rebel' Akkas Ali, standing independent, was unofficially elected as the Mayor after getting a total of 12,033 votes, which is 5,846 votes more than the AL candidate Shahinur Rahman Pintu. In Faridpur’s Alfadanga, only one AL-backed candidate has been able to win the election, while three others have lost to rebel and autonomous candidates. Autonomous candidate Md Ali Aksad has been elected as Mayor of Alfadanga municipality after bagging a total of 4,942 votes, while AL-backed candidate Md Saifur Rahman got only 3,660 votes. In Panchagarh, AL-backed candidate Azahar Ali has won the Boda municipality election after getting a total of 6,740 votes, while autonomous candidate Akhtar Hossain Hasan clinched 3,597 votes. In Natore, Al-backed candidates have been able to win two municipality and union parishad elections while an independent candidate has won another union parishad election. AL-backed candidate KM Jakir Hossain has become Mayor for the second time in Banpara municipality election. BNP-backed autonomous candidate Ali Akbar has won the No 1 Jowari UP election after getting 9,244 votes, while his opponent AL-backed candidate Chand Mahmud has got 7,044 votes. Read more: JaPa’s Mostafizur Rahman Mostafa elected as RCC mayor for second consecutive time Dinajpur, AL-backed candidate and current Mayor Sobujar Siddik Sagar has won the Birol municipality election for the second time, while other AL-backed candidates have lost union parishad elections in the district.