Jhenidah AL will now hold council Oct 25

The new date has been fixed following a directive from the party high command, they said.

AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil, Presidium member Abdur Razzak and some other central leaders are likely to attend the council to be held at Wazir Ali High School premises.

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Earlier, the council was scheduled to be held on October 1 but postponed due to intra-party conflict. Later, October 10 was announced as the new date for the council. But it was also postponed hours before the meet, as the list of councilors could not be prepared due to internal feud, party sources said. The last council was held in 1997.

In the 1997 council, a committee was formed with advocate Ayub Hossain and Abdul Hai as president and general secretary.

As this committee failed to hold the overdue council, a convening committee was formed in December 2002 with Abdul Hai as convener to hold the council within three months. But it could not be held even after 33 months of formation of the convening committee due to internal feud.

Party insiders said, leaders and activists are divided into two groups, one backed by Abdul Hai and the other by former organising secretary Tayeb Ali Joarder. Both want their men in the new district committee to be formed.

Talking to this correspondent, Jhenidah AL convener Abdul Hai MP however denied any intra-party feud. " There is competition over leadership", he said. Hai is also a probable candidate for the post of district AL president.

However, announcement of new council date has created enthusiasm in the party rank and file, though shadowed by intra-party feud at different levels.

Party leaders are now engaged in lobbying and keeping close contact with 240 councilors for posts in the committee.

Party insiders said, Abdul Hai MP, former president of the district committee advocate Ayub Hossain and former vice- president Abdul Wahed Joarder may contest for the post of president.

Central joint-convener of Shechchhasebak League Saidul Karim Mintu, former ogranising secretary of district AL Tayeb Ali Joarder and its joint-convener Shafiqul Islam Opu may be in the race for the post of general secretary, party sources said.