Within hours of giving carte blanche to the Awami League-Grand Alliance, Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad on Thursday night backed off his stance, saying the party's independent candidates outside the alliance will stay in polls race. To this end he issued a statement claiming that his speech delivered at a press conference was presented wrongly by different media which frustrated him.

Earlier, he said the JP will give full support to the Awami League (AL)-led Grand Alliance in the forthcoming 11th parliamentary polls and accept all its decisions. He has also left the Dhaka-17 constituency in the upcoming parliamentary polls in support of the Awami League (AL) candidate, film star Akbar Hossain Pathan, popularly known as Farooque, in that parliamentary seat.

 “I'm not contesting the polls from the Dhaka-17 constituency as there is another Grand Alliance candidate. So, I am leaving this constituency and withdrawing my candidature in favour of Farooque,” Ershad, who is also the special envoy of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, told reporters.

Before Ershad’s press conference, Farooque met with the JP chief and sought his blessings.

The JP chief also said his party was contesting the national polls under the AL-led Grand Alliance. He urged party leaders and activists to accept the Grand Alliance's decisions and support its candidates.

When asked about the fate of 146 JP candidates, who are contesting under the party banner, the JP chairman said: “They are part of the Grand Alliance. However, if they want, they can contest in the polls individually.”

There were speculations that Ershad could step out of the race of the parliamentary polls from the Dhaka-17 constituency after leaving the country for Singapore for treatment on December 10.

Earlier, Ershad submitted his nomination papers in two constituencies, Dhaka-17 and Rangpur-03, to contest the upcoming national polls.

The AL-led Grand Alliance has not fielded any candidate from the Rangpur-03 constituency against JP chief Ershad, but it announced Farooque for the Dhaka-17 constituency.

With the announcement of his withdrawal from the Dhaka-17 constituency, Ershad is now contesting from Rangpur-03.

The Dhaka-17 constituency, considered a VIP seat, comprises the Dhaka cantonment, Gulshan and Banani areas. Apart from Farooque, the other contestants are BJP chairman Andaliv Rahman Partho under the BNP-led 20-Party

Alliance and former communication minister barrister Najmul Huda.

JP presidium member Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu and other party leaders were present during the press briefing.