Shawdesh DEsk:
The ruling Awami League completed the process of Jatiya Sangsad seat distribution among its allies on Sunday but refused to remove the party’s dummy candidates from any seats.
Though the ruling party agreed to withdraw its official candidates from seats distributed, its decision to keep the dummy candidates in the race left the allies frustrated.
On the last day of the withdrawal of nomination papers for the January 7 general election, the AL informed the Election Commission that it was withdrawing candidates from 30 seats from the 298 candidates it fielded earlier.
Among the seats, AL withdrew candidates from 25 seats in favour of long-time partner Jatiya Party and five in favour of its alliance partners. The ruling party did not field candidates for Narayanganj 5 and Kushtia-2 seats, where JP’s Selim Osman and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasad president Hasanul Haque Inu were contesting, respectively.
With a few other candidates losing their candidature during the scrutiny and appeal process, AL said on Sunday it would have 263 candidates running for the January 7 general election.
Besides, six alliance partners will also run for seats with the ruling party’s electoral symbol, ‘boat.’
AL president Sheikh Hasina, also the president of the Parliamentary Nomination Board has sent a letter to the Election Commission to withdraw 25 official candidates for JP.
Biplab told reporters that the AL had given 26 seats to the Jatiya Party, where the party would contest with its own symbol, ‘plough’ and six seats to alliance partners.
The AL-led alliance will contest with boat, the electoral symbol of AL, he said.
Biplab said that AL withdrew from Thakurgaon-3, Nilphamari-3 and 4, Rangpur-1 and 3, Kurigram-1 and 2, Gaibandha-1 and 2, Bogura-2 and 3, Satkhira-2, Patuakhlai-1, Barishal-3, Pirojpur-3, Myemnsingh-5 and 8, Kishoreganj-3, Manikganj-1, Dhaka-18, Habiganj-1, Brahmanbaria-2, Feni-3, Chattogram-5, and Chattogram-8 in favour of JP.
Among the 25 constituencies in Dhaka, AL withdrew its candidate and incumbent lawmaker Mohammad Habib Hasan from Dhaka-18 in favour of Jatiya Party candidate Sharifa Quader, the wife of party chief Ghulam Muhammed Quader.
The six seats for the alliance are Bogura-4, Rajshahi-2, Kushtia-2, Barishal-2, Pirojpur-2, and Lakshmipur-4, he added.
Earlier, the party announced that it would give seven seats to its alliance partners the Workers’ Party of Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasad and the Jatiya Party (Manju).
AL later dropped Workers Party leader Mustafa Lutfullah, who was set to contest from the Satkhira-1 constituency.
Workers Party of Bangladesh president Rashed Khan Menon was primarily given the Barishal-3 constituency before he swapped it for Barishal-2.
‘It is a matter of great regret that one seat from our party was reduced. It was unexpected,’ Menon told New Age.
The Awami League and Jatiya Party held several meetings over the next general election, mainly over seat distribution, until Saturday night.
An AL central leader seeking anonymity told New Age that the Jatiya Party and alliance partners demanded to withdraw the party’s official and dummy candidates so that they could clear their path for victory.
He said that the issue prolonged the settlement.
‘As the BNP is not contesting the election, our party is adamant not to withdraw independent candidates,’ he added.
JP chairman GM Quader withdrew his candidature from Dhaka-17 and was contesting from the Rangpur-3 constituency.
Hundreds of JP supporters demonstrated in front of the party office in Banani, demanding the party pull out of the race amid the heavy presence of security personnel.
JP co-chairman Kazi Firoz Rashid and presidium member Salma Islam withdrew their nominations from Dhaka-6 and Dhaka-17, respectively, having failed to convince the AL to withdraw its candidates from the constituencies.
Jatiya Party secretary general Mujibul Haque Chunnu told reporters that they would take part in the 12th general elections and were giving party candidates in 283 constituencies.
‘We are taking part in the elections unilaterally, getting assurance from the ruling party Awami League central leaders and EC officials that the elections will be held in a free, fair, and credible manner,’ said Mujibul.
At a press conference on Sunday, AL general secretary Obaidul Quader said that although the candidates of boats were withdrawn, independent candidates were in all constituencies.
On the last day of the withdrawal of nomination papers, a large number of Zaker Party candidates withdrew nomination papers, saying that the AL made the election an election of ‘power sharing.’
The party will keep fewer than 10 candidates in the polls, its office secretary, Moneruzzaman, said.
After withdrawal of nominations by different candidates, the total number of valid candidates is now 1,896, EC secretary Md. Jahangir Alam said at a press conference at EC media centre.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and some other opposition parties are boycotting the poll, saying that no election could be free and fair under the ruling Awami League.
They have been agitating in the streets for a long time, demanding the resignation of the Awami League handing over power to an election-time party-neutral administration.
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