As many as 20 Awami Leaguers are hell-bent on pocketing party pass and eight BNP men eye nomination when Krishak Sramik Janata League leadership is yet to get Election Commission clearance over taking part in next parliamentary polls. Awami League (AL) MP Alhaj Md Akabbar Hossain, who is also the president of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Bridge and Roads Department, leads the pack of hopefuls for AL nomination for the Tangail-7 (Mirzapur) constituency.
Apart from Hossain, for Mirzapur upazila AL secretary Meer Sharif and Jubo League leader Khan Ahmed Shuvo are in the fray for the party's nomination for the upcoming polls. In the BNP camp, central leader Abul Kalam Azad, Sayed Sorhab, and Nurul Islam Nuru are the hopefuls for party nomination. Meanwhile, Jatiya Party joint secretary Zohirul Islam is lobbying for his party's nomination.
The constituency comprises one municipality and 14 unions of Mirzapur upazila. The AL had won the seat in 1973, 2001, 2008 and 2014, while the BNP won in 1979 and 1991. The JP was the winner in 1988 and an independent candidate was victorious in 1986.
Akabbar Hossain said he had done a lot of work during the last two tenures. People will favour the boat—the AL's symbol—of Sheikh Hasina to continue the development process, he added.
Chairman of Tangail district council and president of Tangail district AL Fazlur Rahman Khan Farook is toiling to set his son Khan Ahmed Shuva in Mirzapur as MP.
From source in central AL it is learned that FF Alhaj Ekabbor Hossain MP, Meer Sharif Mahmud, Sayed Wahid Iqbal, Khan Ahmed Shuva, Major (Rtd.) Abdul Hafiz, Salama Salam Urmi, Meer Enayet Hossain Montu bought nomination papers
from AL.
From a source in BNP it is learned that ex-MP Abul Kalam Siddique who is in jail, Firoj Haider Khan, Saidur Rahman, Sayed Sorhab collected BNP’s forms.
According to sources in the Election Commission's (EC's) Tangail office, there are 322,651 voters in the constituency, of whom, 159,853 are men and 162,798 women. The EC has finalised 119 polling centres and 625 booths for elections to this constituency.
Tangail - 8 (Sakhipur-Basail)
The AL is beset with the familiar tale of tussle between several hopefuls for nomination as the party's candidate for the Tangail- 8 (Sakhipur-Basail) constituency.
Current MP Anupam Shahjahan Joy, Tangail district AL secretary Zohirul Islam, Sakhipur upazila chairman Alhaj Sowkot Sikder, principal Syed Azad, AL district member Ataul Mahmud, Tasin Group chairman Sarker Md Arifuzzaman Farook, Bangladesh Tant Board ex-chairman Asadul Hoque Talukder, district Swachasebak League vice-president Fazlul Hoque Bappa and Jatiya Sramik League ex-president Abdus Salam Khan are aspirants for the ruling party's ticket.
Anupam Shahjahan Joy was elected MP in the by-election after the death of Sawkot Momen Shahjahan, a popular AL leader of the area. He was also elected MP in 2014 unopposed.
Zohirul Islam said: "After the assassination of Bangabandhu, I was imprisoned five times. I have organised the Bangladesh Chhatra League. Development work in the area has enhanced the image of Sheikh Hasina. I'll present the boat to
Sheikh Hasina if I’m given the ticket. The sitting MP has worked with sincerity, but he is cut off from grassroots leaders and activists.” Sakhipur upazila AL president Kutub Uddin and Sakhipur municipality mayor Abu Hanif said that most leaders and activists support Zohirul Islam. Most of the UP chairpersons also supported Zohirul Islam as the candidate. Zohirul Islam had brought out a huge rally on October 6, propagating the development work done by the Sheikh Hasina government.
Meanwhile, veteran freedom fighter Abdul Kader Siddique, Bir Uttam, who is the president of KSJL, is a candidate from this constituency. He was elected from the constituency in 1996 on the AL ticket. However, he resigned from the and formed KSJL. Siddique was elected MP from this seat in 2001.
If Kader Siddique joins the 20-Party Alliance, the BNP will not contest from the constituency, it was learnt. Abdul Kader Siddique said that he wouldn’t join the Jatiya Oikyafront as BNP did not leave Jamaat. But at last he joined Oikyafront.
However, there are rumors that Siddique will not join the Oikyafront as the BNP did not leave out Jamaat from its alliance. Siddique had organised Kaderia Bahini in Sakhipur during the Liberation War and is ingrained with the soil of Sakhipur. BNP vice-president Ahmed Azom Khan, BNP leader Sheikh Mohammad Habib, BNP leader Obidul Hoque Nasir, VP of Tangail district unit of BNP and ex-student leader Ziaul Hoque are the party’s aspirants. Kazi Ashraf Siddique, joint secretary of the Jatiya Party (JP), Rezaul Karim central leader of JP are the candidates of the JP. The aspirants are conducting mass contact programmes and distributing leaflets to manifest their popularity—while keeping a close touch with their party higher-ups—to ensure their nomination. They have also become more active in social, religious and organisational activities. The Tangail-8 constituency comprises two municipalities and 12 unions. The AL bagged the seat in 1973, 1986, 1996, 2008 and 2014. The BNP won in 1979 and 1991, while KSJL got the seat in 2001.
From a source in AL it is learned that Sowkot Sikder, Khondoker Md. Arifuzzaman, Abdus Salam Khan, Md. Abu Sayed Mia, Engineer AKM Asadul Hoque Talukder, Md. Zahangir Alam, Jewel Sarker, Md. Khalilur Rahman Talukder, Bodiuzzaman, Anupam Shahjahan Joy MP, Zohirul Islam, Md. Renubor Rahman, Md. Ataul Mahmud bought AL nomination papers. From a source in BNP it is learned that Adv. Ahmed Khan, Sheikh Habibur Rahman, Obaidul Hoque Nasir, Kazi Shahidul Islam, Ziaul Hoque Shaheen collected nomination forms from BNP office. There are 346,338 voters in the constituency. Of them, 168,244 are men, while the remaining 178,094 are women. In this constituency, polls will be in 767 booths in 122 polling centres. Three nomination forms for Pintu’s family in Tangail: Three nomination papers have been collected for Abdus Salam Pintu and his brothers. Abdul Salam Pintu, vice-president of central BNP ex-deputy minister bought nomination papers for Tangail-2 (Gopalpur-Bhuapur). Abdus Salam Pintu is now in jail and sentenced death penalty in August 21 grenade attack case. Moulana Taj Uddin, younger brother of Salam Pintu is also sentenced death penalty in the same case who fled from Bangladesh. Younger of Abdus Salam Pintu Sultan Salahuddin Tuku secretary of central Juba Dal is also in jail in other cases. Pintu’s younger brother Shamsul Alam Tofa is president of Tangail district unit of BNP.
Shamsul Alam Tofa said that he bought two nomination papers for Abdus Salam Pintu and Sultan Salahuddin Tuku for Tangail -2 and two for Tangail-5 for Sultan Salahuddin Tuku and himself. If Pintu fails to submit nomination paper his younger Tuku will contest from Tangail-2 constituency.