Feud in Satkhira AL over UZ poll candidacy

6 January 2009, 18:00 PM

Our Correspondent, Satkhira

Grassroots level leaders and activists in different upazilas in Satkhira district Awami League (AL) are divided over candidature of more than one leaders for the same post in the upcoming upazila election. At least 32 candidates are contesting for the post of upazila chairmen in seven upazilas while 25 male candidates and 28 female candidates are contesting for the post of vice-chairmen. Satkhira district AL General Secretary Nazrul Islam is contesting for the post of chairman in Sadar upazila. He is the only AL leader to vie for the post but at least seven candidates including four leaders of AL are contesting for the post of vice-chairman in the upazila. Four candidates including two leaders of AL are contesting for chairmanship in Kaliganj upazila. The AL leaders are Kaliganj upazila AL president Sheikh Wahiduzzaman and district AL leader Dr SM Entaz Ali. Kaliganj upazila AL leader Enamul Haque and upazila Jubo League leader Syeed Mehedi are in the race for vice chairmanship. Three candidates including former AL lawmaker BM Nazrul Islam and Kalaroa upazila AL joint convenor Firoz Ahmed Swapan are contesting for chairmanship in Kalaroa upazila. Five candidates are contesting for vice-chairman post in Kalaroa upazila. Former AL lawmaker Dr Mokhlesur Rahman, who is also the president of Assassuni upazila AL, and district AL leader ABM Mostakim are contesting for chairmanship in Assassuni upazila. No other candidates are in the race. Four candidates including upazila AL leaders SM Hafizur Rahman and Rashed Sarwar are contesting for vice-chairman post in the same upazila. At least seven candidates including three leaders of AL are contesting for the post of upazila chairman in Tala upazila. The AL leaders are Tala upazila AL President Sheikh Nurul Islam, General Secretary Ghosh Sanat Kumar and district AL leader Fazlul Haque. Four candidates including district AL leader Abdul Gani and Debhata upazila AL president advocate Golam Mostafa are contesting for chairman post in Debhata upazila. Former Shyamnagar upazila AL general secretary advocate Abu Bakar Siddique and Upazila Krishak League leader Mujibul Haque are among the seven chairman candidates in Shyamnagar upazila. In every upazila of the district, several candidates from AL are also contesting for each of the posts of two vice-chairmen including one for women, shows signs of growing intra-party rift among the local AL leaders and activists over the candidature. “We are hopeful that after selecting the candidates through the grassroots level leaders' opinion, AL leaders and activists in every upazila will work for them,” said district AL president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, also newly elected lawmaker from Satkhira-1 constituency. He said their will be no rift in the party centring the upazila election.