Candidates active to ‘take control of the field’ in 3 Shariatpur seats

With the 13th parliamentary election approaching, election campaigning is gaining momentum in Shariatpur’s three constituencies. In some areas, internal divisions have emerged over party nominations; elsewhere, rival candidates are actively trying to dominate the field, while discussions are ongoing about leaders and activists switching their parties.

In all three seats, Bangladesh Nationalist party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis have fielded candidates. In addition, the National Citizen Party (NCP) has declared a candidate in one seat, and Gono Odhikar Parishad has announced a party candidate in another.

A total of 24 candidates submitted nomination papers to contest the three seats. As of yesterday, Friday, nomination scrutiny has been completed for Shariatpur–1 and Shariatpur–2. The returning officer rejected two nominations in Shariatpur–1 and seven in Shariatpur–2. As a result, seven valid candidates remain in Shariatpur–1 and four in Shariatpur–2.

According to the election schedule, nomination scrutiny will continue from 30 December to 4 January. Appeals against the returning officer’s decisions can be filed with the Election Commission (EC) from 5 to 9 January. The EC will dispose of appeals between 10 and 18 January. The final date for withdrawal of nominations is 20 January. After that, the final list of candidates will published.

The Awami League long dominated all three Shariatpur seats. Following last year’s mass uprising, the party’s activities have been banned, and it currently has no open political presence. As a result, many candidates are trying to attract Awami League supporters by engaging leaders from different levels of the party.

At the local level, dissatisfaction over the BNP nomination has become a major challenge for the party in Shariatpur–1. The BNP has nominated Saeed Ahmed (Aslam), organising secretary of the party’s district unit. Since he is from Damudya upazila under the Shariatpur–3 constituency, granting him the nomination in Shariatpur–1 instead of his own area has angered a section of local BNP leaders and activists.

This faction supports district BNP general secretary and former MP Sardar Nasir Uddin (Kalu). They have staged various programmes demanding a change in the nomination. Although nomination papers were collected for him to run as an independent candidate, he ultimately did not submit them.

Jamaat-e-Islami has nominated Mosharraf Hossain (Masud), former president of Islami Chhatra Shibir’s Dhaka University unit. He said, “The voting environment remains normal so far. We are working in the area in compliance with the electoral code of conduct. I hope voters will also support change.”

A total of nine candidates submitted nomination papers in this seat, two of them were rejected. The other valid candidates are Jalaluddin Ahmad of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Md Tofayel Ahmed of Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Firoz Ahmed of Gono Odhikar Parishad, Nurul Islam (nominated by Nagorik Oikya), and Abdur Rahman of the NCP.

In this Padma riverbank constituency, 11 candidates submitted nomination papers. The BNP candidate is former MP and district BNP president Shafiqul Rahman. Jamaat-e-Islami has nominated Mahmud Hossain, general secretary of the National Doctors’ Forum, an organisation of Jamaat-affiliated physicians.

Both leaders have been actively campaigning and carrying out political activities in the area since last year. According to voters, both major camps are trying to attract supporters of the now-banned Awami League.

On 7 December, Yunus Ali Molla, religious affairs secretary of Bhedarganj upazila’s Safipur police station Awami League and former chairman of Uttar Tarabunia union, joined the BNP along with his supporters.

Regarding this, BNP candidate Shafiqul Rahman told Prothom Alo, “We are listening to voters’ problems and trying to solve them. Supporters of different parties may be involved in that process. But we will not give space in the party to any identified criminal or autocrat.”

He added that the Awami League had not allowed them to enter the area or engage in politics for years. They endured patiently and worked quietly for public welfare. Now, everyone is waiting for a fair and participatory election.

Jamaat candidate Mahmud Hossain said, “There is significant scope to work on education, healthcare, and employment here. We are moving forward with those priorities in mind. While working in the field, our activists are facing some obstacles, which are being brought to the attention of the administration and the Election Commission.”

In this seat, seven nominations were rejected during scrutiny. The four valid candidates are BNP’s Shafiqul Rahman Kiran, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Mahmud Hossain, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan’s Mahmudul Hasan, and Jatiya Party (JP)’s Jasim Uddin.

This constituency, comprising riverine communities along the Padma and Meghna, is largely inhabited by farmers and fishermen. The BNP has nominated Mia Nuruddin Ahmed (Apu), former personal secretary to BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman. Mia Nuruddin Ahmed is the publisher of the Dainik Kalbela and has been highly active in the constituency.

Even before the election schedule was announced, he began extensive campaigning, including courtyard meetings. During this time, several Awami League leaders and activists have joined the BNP. On 5 December, Jane Alam alias Khokon Matbor, organising secretary of Damudya upazila Awami League, joined the BNP with his supporters by formally aligning with candidate Mia Nuruddin Ahmed.

Mia Nuruddin Ahmed told Prothom Alo, “For the past 17 years, we could not carry out political activities. We spent that entire time either in hiding or in prison. Now an electoral atmosphere has returned to the country, and the people are with us. We will work for development and job creation in the constituency. We are receiving such an overwhelming public response that sometimes it becomes difficult to fully comply with the electoral code of conduct.”

Jamaat-e-Islami has nominated Mohammad Azharul Islam, treasurer of its labour wing, the Sramik Kalyan Federation.

He said, “There is a strong desire for change among the people. We are working toward that goal while following the electoral code of conduct. So far, we have not faced any obstacles.”

Other candidates who submitted nomination papers in this seat include Hanif Mia of Islami Andolan Bangladesh and Abdul Hannan of the Jatiya Party.