Election 2008

2 join BNP as AL fields 7 new faces in Ctg

New BNP faces likely in Ctg-1, 3, 13, 14

26 November 2008, 18:00 PM

Abdullah Al Mahmud, Ctg

With the Election Commission's announcement of reschedule for the upcoming parliament elections, aspirants of BNP and Awami League (AL) are now lobbying to get tickets from BNP-led four-party alliance or AL-led 14-party grand alliance. The aspirants of BNP have started lobbying for party ticket while those of AL, particularly the new faces, are up to retain the nomination in the seat sharing with the grand alliance partners, said sources in both the alliances. Speculation is rife about Chittagong City Corporation acting Mayor Manjur Alam's joining BNP and contesting the upcoming polls with four-party alliance ticket from Chittagong-9 (Double Mooring-Pahartali), one of the four seats in the port city, sources said. Manjur started thinking of BNP ticket after he failed to win AL nomination to contest in the election from Chittagong-9. Shamsul Alam, Managing Director of Messers Elias and Brothers Group, who failed to get AL nomination for Chittagong-8 (Kotoali), is now reportedly planning to contest the election either with BNP ticket or as an independent candidate. Awami League had already nominated party candidates in all the 16 parliamentary constituencies in Chittagong district. AL picked up seven new faces for nominations in seven seats including Chittagong-2 (Fatikchhari) where two times former AL lawmaker Rafiqul Anowar will not be able to contest this time due to his conviction in an EPR case. Among the new faces are ATM Piyarul Islam for Chittagong-2 (Fatikchhari), Dr Hasan Mahmud for Chittagong-6 (Rangunia), Abdus Salam for Chittagong-7 (Boalkhali), Khorshed Alam Sujan for Chittagong-10 (PatengaHalishahar in the city) one of the four city seats, Shamsul Haq Chowdhury for Chittagong-11 (Patiya), advocate Sirajul Islam for Chittagong-14 (Lohagara-Satkania), and Dr Jamal Ahmed Chowdhury for Chittagong-16 (Sandwip). In nine other constituencies AL nominated old faces including Mosharraf Hossain for Chittagong-1 (Mirer Sarai), ABM Abul Kashem for Chittagong-3 (Sitakunda), MA Salam for Chittagong-4 (Hathazari), ABM Fazle Karim for Chittagong-5 (Raozan), Nurul Islam for Chittagong-8 (Kotoali in the city), Afsarul Amin for Chittagong-9 (Double Mooring in the city), Akhteruzzaman Chowdhury for Chittagong-12 (Anowara), Afsaruddin Ahmed for Chittagong-13 (Chandanaish) and Sulatanul Kabir Chowdhury for Chittagong-15 (Banshkhali). Most of the aspirants winning the AL party tickets have already submitted their nomination papers. AL nominated candidates Afsarul Amin, Khorshed Alam Sujan and Abdus Salam submitted nomination papers for three city seats -- Chittagong-9, Chittagong-10 and Chittagong-7 on Sunday. Nurul Islam submitted nomination paper for Chittagong-8 (Kotoali) - the other and the most vital city seat, on Thursday. However, with the four-party alliance joining the polls some of these candidates are sure to be dropped in the seat sharing with partners of the grand alliance led by Awami League, political observers said. Of the AL-led alliance partners, Jatiya Party expected six seats including Chittagong 4, 5, 8, 9, 11 and 15, LDP expected five seats including Chittagong 1, 6, 11, 13 and 14 while Jatiya samajtantrik Dal (JSD) one seat to contest the upcoming polls with alliance tickets. The seats that AL is most likely to share with the grand alliance partners include Chittagong-4, Chittagong-7, Chittagong-13 and Chittagong-14, AL insiders said. Jatiya Party Presidium Member Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud, JSD central leader Mainuddin Khan Badal, and LDP chief Col (retd) Oli Ahmed Bir Bikram are like to contest from these seats with alliance tickets, sources said. To lobby for retaining nominations for the AL aspirants, particularly the one for Chittagong-7, Chittagong Mayor and city AL President ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury recently went to Dhaka, sources said. There may be change in nomination for one or two seats like Chittagong-16 (Sandwip) where the grassroots leaders expressed dissatisfaction for depriving Mahfuzur Rahman Mita, son of late AL lawmaker Mostafizur Rahman, party sources said. AL nomination also triggered controversy and resentment in Chittagong-11. Following BNP-led four-party alliance's announcement to participate in the rescheduled polls, BNP nomination aspirants have started lobbying for alliance tickets, said party sources. At least four new faces are likely to figure in the BNP-led alliance nomination. The alliance would go for picking new faces for Chittagong-1, 3, 13 and 14 constituencies. Prospective candidates for these seats are industrialist Kamal Uddin Ahmad or industrialist Emran Chowdhury for Chittagong-1, Aslam Chowdhury or AYBI Siddiqui for Chittagong-3, BNP leader Abu Taher for Chittagong-13 and Jamaat leader Shamsul Islam Chowdhury for Chittagong-14.