BNP relies on 'sympathy vote' as AL says 'our seat'

The seat (Kendua-Atpara constituency) fell vacant following the death of BNP lawmaker Nurul Amin Talukder about three months back.

Political circles and people this correspondent talked to said there will be a fight between Alliance and Awami League, and the winner will have a small margin.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Both the ruling Alliance and the Opposition Awami League have close ranks and their central leaders have flocked here, holding rallies and doing door-to-door campaign seeking votes for their candidates.

Abdus Samad Azad, Motia Chowdhury, Mohammad Nasim, Tofael Ahmed and Sultan Ahmed are here for the last several days, only leaving the area occasionally for any important work in Dhaka.

Awami League sources said they consider Netrokona-3 as "our seat" though its candidate lost to BNP in the last parliamentary election.

AL candidate in the by-election, Jobal Ali, had polled 93,742 votes against Nurul Amin Talukdar's 1,01,706 in the 2001 general election.

Talukdar's widow Khadija Amin, a housewife turned politician, expects 'sympathy votes' in addition to her husbands 'vote banks', BNP sources said.

Her campaigners are led by Forest and Environment Minister Shajahan Siraj, State Minister for Home Lutfuzzaman Babar, Fazlul Haque Milon, Giasuddin Ahmed MP from Narayanganj and Mohammad Ali. The are joined by local leaders of Islami Oikkya Jote and Jamat-e-Islami.

Jubad Ali hails from Kendua upazila with 12 unions and Khadija is from Atpara with seven unions.

Four others are also in the fray, but running far behind the BNP and AL candidates. They are Ali Osman Khan of Jatiya Party (Ershad), Abu Jafar Sabat of Krishak Sramik Janata Party, Krishak Mohammad Sadek of Krishak Sramik Mukti Andolon and independent candidate Abdul Wahab.

The constituency has 124 voting centres, 77 in Kendua and 47 in Atpara. Of these, 78 are "vulnerable", sources in the administration said.

No untoward incident took place during campaign so far, they said.

Army will be deployed in the constituency tomorrow and remain there till the midnight of August 22.

They said adequate preparations have been taken to ensure a free and fail by-election.