Sylhet

Candidates use party identity in upazila polls

9 January 2009, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Sylhet

Although the upazila elections are to be held non-partisan, candidates are using their political identity during the campaign in almost all the upazilas of the district. A number of candidates from the four-party alliance have already withdrawn from the race, but there are still more than one candidate for the posts of chairman and vice-chairman in all the upazilas. Awami League is also facing similar situation. Amid widespread speculations that results of the recently held parliament elections would influence the local body polls candidates from the Awami League camp are feeling somewhat better than those from the ones from their rival BNP. Sylhet district BNP convening committee member Ashique Chwdhury and Kanaighat pourashava unit BNP chief Ifzalur Rahman are contesting for the post of upazila chairman of Kanaighat. In Sylhet Sadar upazila, BNP leaders Abul Kaher Shamim and UP chairman Shah Jamal Nurul Huda are contesting for the upazila chairman post. Upazila BNP President Mozahid Uddin and Jamaat leader Mohammad Hashmat Ullah withdrew their nominations in Biswanath upazila. However, Biswanath upazila BNP Vice-chairman Sohel Ahmed Chowdhury, General Secretary Firoze Khan Ponki and a district committee member are still on the race for the upazila chairmanship. Similar is the situation in the AL camp. In Sadar upazila, district AL's Joint Secretary Ashfaque Ahmed, district Sramik League President Ejajul Haque Ejaj and former UP chairman Azizur Rahman Manik are in the campaign with AL identity. However, Sadar upazila AL at a meeting endorsed Ashfaque as their candidate for the polls. In Zakiganj upazila, former upazila chairman AL leader Mashuk Uddin, Jatiya Party's France chapter chief Shabbir Ahmed and Sirajul Haque, and freedom fighter Farid Uddin are in the race. In Companiganj, former upazila chairman M Taiyebur Rahman and Md Jahangir Alam, both AL men, and in Gowainghat, USA AL leader Faruque Ahmed and local AL leader Luthfur Rahman Lebu are in the upazila polls race. In Golapganj, Iqbal Ahmed Chowdhury and former chairman Abul Boshor are in the race. Both of them are using AL identity. However, district AL Joint Secretary Abdul Khalique Mayon is the only candidate with AL identity in Beanibazar upazila while in Dakshin Surma upazila former UP chairman Mainul Islam is the lone candidate with AL identity.