Jamaat moves for alternative candidate for Gazi Nazrul’s Satkhira seat

Jamaat-e-Islami is working to develop alternative leadership to Gazi Nazrul Islam in the Satkhira-4 (Shyamnagar) constituency.

The party has begun organisational activities around Maulana Abdur Rahman as a potential candidate if a by-election is held in the constituency in the future.

However, it will not disclose the name of the potential candidate until the Election Commission (EC) declares the seat vacant.

According to Jamaat sources, Maulana Abdur Rahman is a teacher by profession and serves as the ameer of the party’s Shyamnagar upazila unit.

The party has indicated to Abdur Rahman that it will nominate him if the Satkhira-4 seat falls vacant. Even if no by-election takes place, the party is considering him as an alternative candidate for the next national election.

After receiving an indication that the party is considering him as an alternative to Nazrul in Satkhira-4, Abdur Rahman has increased his public outreach and organisational activities in the area.

Md Izzat Ullah, a member of Jamaat-e-Islami’s Central Executive Council and the party’s MP for Satkhira-1, told Prothom Alo, “The candidate will be formally announced when the Election Commission declares the seat vacant.”

Abdur Rahman, a potential candidate for Satkhira-4, told Prothom Alo, “We believe the party will nominate whoever is beneficial to the organisation and the people of the area. Whoever is nominated, I will make my utmost effort to prove that Jamaat’s position in Satkhira is strong.”

However, another responsible source within the party said that Shahidul Islam (Mukul), ameer of Jamaat’s Satkhira district committee, and Maulana Khalilur Rahman Madani, a member of the party’s Central Working Committee, are also under consideration for the seat.

A video of Gazi Nazrul circulated on social media towards the end of July, showing him in an intimate position with a young woman.

Gazi Nazrul later said that the woman in the video was his second wife, Mariam Begum. Following criticism over the matter, Jamaat-e-Islami launched an organisational investigation.

At an emergency meeting of the party’s Central Executive Council on 22 July, the party decided to expel Gazi Nazrul under Article 62 of its constitution. The party said its investigation had established that he had committed a moral lapse.

Jamaat subsequently sent separate letters to the Speaker of Parliament and the Election Commission, seeking necessary action. However, neither the Speaker nor the Election Commission has taken any decision on the matter so far.

Jamaat sources said that sending the letters seeking action means cancelling Gazi Nazrul’s membership of parliament and holding a by-election.

Meanwhile, Gazi Nazrul’s second wife died by suicide on Sunday. Gazi Nazrul is currently on remand in police custody.

According to Jamaat sources, the party brought Abdur Rahman forward as an alternative candidate for the seat immediately after expelling Gazi Nazrul.

The overall situation, including Gazi Nazrul Islam’s relationship with a younger woman in violation of religious rules on modesty, his subsequent marriage, his expulsion from the party, and his wife’s death by suicide just two months later—has placed Jamaat in a politically embarrassing position over its MP, Gazi Nazrul Islam.

In this situation, some of his well-wishers within the party advised him to resign from his parliamentary seat and urged him to reform himself and return to the party.

However, he did not agree. Instead, he took steps to retain his parliamentary seat. Following the death by suicide of his second wife, efforts to develop alternative leadership to Nazrul have gained further momentum.

Satkhira district has four parliamentary constituencies. In the 13th parliamentary election, Jamaat candidates were elected MPs in all four constituencies.

Jamaat leaders said the party has a strong organisational position across Satkhira district. Among these constituencies, they believe that their position is strongest in Satkhira-4, which comprises Shyamnagar upazila.

In the previous election, Gazi Nazrul Islam was elected from Satkhira-4 with 106,913 votes based on the results from all 97 polling centres. His closest rival, BNP candidate Md Moniruzzaman, received 85,426 votes.

Gazi Nazrul Islam had previously been elected as an MP from the constituency in 1991 and 1996.

In his absence, Jamaat leaders have become somewhat concerned about retaining the seat. This is why the party has decided to move quickly to develop an alternative candidate.

However, Md Izzat Ullah, the MP for Satkhira-1, said, “We do not believe that our results will suffer because of any individual. InshaAllah, whoever is nominated, we will be able to get them elected. We have that moral confidence.”