Jamaat mayor candidate steps aside in favour of BNP

Jamaat and eight other minor parties agreed to back out from the Chittagong City Corporation elections, scheduled to be held on June 17, in a bid to unitedly support the BNP-backed mayoral candidate, Monjurul Alam Monju.
This was announced on Monday at a joint press briefing held at the Chittagong Press Club by the president of the Chittagong city unit of BNP, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, and amir of Jamaat’s Chittagong city unit, Shamsul Islam MP.
‘We have decided to support Monjurul Alam Monju as the lone candidate of 10 parties for mayoralty of the CCC,’ said Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury. ‘We have taken this decision as we want to fight jointly from the same platform.’
‘We want a change and we want to bring an end to the questionable system of running the CCC that has continued for the last 17 years and has caused great frustration in the city dwellers,’ he added. ‘The role of the mayor of Chittagong city, known as the country’s commercial capital, is very important and so we want to elect a dynamic and competent candidate as mayor.’
‘We have reached an agreement that only one candidate, on behalf of 10 parties including BNP and Jamaat, will contest the polls for the post of mayor,’ said Jamaat leader Shamsul Islam. ‘So we have agreed to support BNP-backed Monju and other candidates, including Jamaat’s Afsar Uddin Ahmed, will withdraw from the elections.’
Leaders of 8 other minor parties including Jatiya Party (Monju), Islami Oikkya Jote, Nezam-e-Islam, Khelafat Majlish, Jatiya Gonotantri Party, National People’s Party, Muslim League and Jatiya Ganatantrik Party were present at the briefing.
Prior to the press briefing, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, accompanied by his fellow party leaders, went to Jamaat’s office in Chandanpura and held a meeting with the leaders of the Jamaat and other 8 minor parties to persuade them to support Monju, said BNP sources.
Jamaat’s Shamsul Islam told New Age that decision to withdraw his fellow member Afsar Uddin Ahmed’s candidacy was taken in response to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s request.
‘On Saturday night Khaleda Zia phoned me and other Jamaat leaders and requested us to support Monju, and accordingly we agreed to back out of the polls,’ he said. ‘We also convinced 8 other minor parties to follow suit.’
Political analysts said that Jamaat, taking advantage of the CCC polls, has managed to strengthen its ties with the BNP after a chilly relationship for over 3 years.

Via: NewAge