Many rebel candidates retire from poll campaign
Yet BNP, AL in trouble in Barisal
Our Correspondent, Barisal
Both the two major political alliances are still facing problems from eight rebel candidates (five in BNP and three in Mahajote) even after withdrawal by others. In one constituency, both ‘boat’ (AL) and ‘plough(JP)’, and in another constituency, both’ sheaf of paddy(BNP)’ and ‘ pair of scales( BJI)’ are fighting each other.
With only three days left ahead of JS Poll 2008, the BNP led four-party and AL led grand alliance are trying to calm their rebel candidates, in the greater interest of the parties and requesting them to withdraw their candidatures. Party insiders say that following the initiative a number of former lMps of BNP, who are independent candidates in the December 29 elections, have decided to retire from election.
Party insiders said that top leaders of the party including Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the last few days talked to many rebel candidates and urged them to withdraw and to ensure that the party nominees win in their constituencies. They hoped that all the rebel candidates would withdraw as soon as possible since the chairperson assured them of remembering their sacrifice for the party.
“I decided to withdraw my candidature after meeting the chairperson,” former MP of Barisal-1 Zahiruddin Swapan, who was an independent candidate, told The Bangladesh Today on Monday. The party nominated Eng Abdus Sobhan there. Sources said that according to the chair person’s direction, Swapan would bemonitoring party election activities with the central team. He would not, however, visit his constituency to avoid intra-party conflict.
In the last few days, Shah Abul Hossain of Barisal-4 also expressed his support for party nominees in their constituencies. All of them became independent candidates failing to get party tickets following accusations of having close ties with expelled BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan. However, five rebel BNP candidates are officially competing in at least 6 constituencies against their party nominees since the last date of withdrawing candidature expired on December 11.
Former whip Shahidul Haque Jamal at Barisal-2 and Pirojpur-1, BNP Law Affairs Secretary Zoynul Abedin at Barisal-3, Shahidul Alam Talukdar at Patuakhali-2, Dr. Rustam Ali Farazi at Pirojpur-3 and Siddikur Rahman Manna At Bhola-3 are still very active in the race as independent candidates and except Manna others could even come out victorious from the December 29 polls. The four-party has one constituency in the division where they let candidates from both BNP and Bangladesh Jamaat-i-Islam (BJI) battle as rivals.
Dr. Sultan Ahmed of alliance partner BJI and Advocate Khondokar Mahbub Hossain of BNP fighting against each other in the poll. On other hand, AL leader Mahbubuddin Bir Bikram has stopped his election campaign for Barisal-1 and expressed his support for party candidate Col.(retd.) Zahid Faruk Shamim.
But three rebel AL candidates are still officially competing in at least 2 constituencies against their party nominees since the date of withdrawing candidature expired on December 11.
Former AL MP Delwar Hossain, as independent candidate is fighting whole hearted against present AL candidate and former Minister Dhirendra Devnath Shamvu. Delwar defeated Shamvu with a huge difference of 34 thousand votes in last election. SM Firoz, AL leader and Vice Chairman of Mercantile Bank, is a rebel candidate against former AL MP ASM Firoz at Patuakhali-2.
Again, Pirojpur district AL secretary AKM Awal with ‘boat’ symbol is competing even after Mustafa Jamal Haider, Jatiya Party presidium member and former minister with ‘plough’ symbol, has been nominated by grand alliance for Pirojpur-1.
Courtesy: thebangladeshtoday.com
