Oikya Front leaders ponder choice of constituencies

Jatiya Oikya Front
Jatiya Oikya Front

With only 15 days remaining to submit the nominations forms to contest in the 11th parliamentary elections, top leaders of the opposition alliance Jatiya Oikya Front are busy finalising the candidates for different constituencies.

Some of the top leaders have contesting from several constituencies in mind and the matter will be fixed after negotiations with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Among the alliance members, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) has already informed the election commission of taking part with BNP’s ‘Sheaf of Paddy’ symbol while Gano Forum wants to use their party symbol ‘Rising Sun’. Nagorik Oikya is not registered with the EC and its leaders will take part as independent participants.
The alliance partners are holding meetings within the party members to select possible candidates. The list will be settled at the steering committee meeting of Oikya Front.
Many of the old contestants from BNP are in fear of losing nomination. Gano Forum leader Dr Kamal Hossain does not want to contest, but alliance leaders and members of his party want him to run.

Mostafa Mohsin Montu consider two constituencies

Mostafa Mohsin Montu, general secretary of Gano Forum, considers contesting from Dhaka-2 and Dhaka-3 that encompasses the upazila of Keraniganj. Mostafa was elected from the same area, demarcated as Dhaka-3 constituency earlier, in 1986 from Awami League. In 1991, he contested from AL again, and lost to BNP’s Amanullah Aman.
Aman was elected four times from the same constituency. As the constituency is redefined as Dhaka-2 and Dhaka-3, Aman wants to compete now for the Dhaka-2 constituency from BNP.
BNP standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy aspires to compete from Dhaka-3 constituency. Goyeswhar was defeated by AL candidate Nasrul Hamid in the 2008 elections.

Subrata Chowdhury in the constituency of Oli Ahmad

The Chattagram-14 constituency encompassing six Unions of the Chandanaish and Satkania upazila had been under the constituency of Chattagram-13. Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Oli Ahmad is a four-time elected member from here. He competed from both Chattagram-13 and Chattagram-14 in 2008.
Oli may contest from these two constituencies from the 20-party alliance with the ‘Sheaf of Paddy’ symbol. Members of Gano Forum said he would contest from Chattagram-13. Gano Forum executive president Subrata Chowdhury wants to contest from Chattagram-14. Jamaat-e-Islami also has a candidate here.
Jaamat’s Shahjahan Chowdhury won in the elections in 1991 and 2001 while Shahmsul Islam was elected as Jamaat candidate in 2008. Subrata Chowdhury told Prothom Alo that the matter will be finalised in an alliance meeting. The candidate worth winning will be given preference, he added.

Sultan Mansur at Moulvibazar-2
Former Awami League organising secretary Sultan Mohammad Mansur, also former Dhaka University Central Students Union vice-president, enjoys a safer position. He was elected as the member of the parliament for three times from Awami League. He can contest from Moulvibazar-2 (Kamalganj and Kulaura). The BNP has never had a strong hold here. Though the constituency is secured by a Jatiya Party member now, local Oikya Front leaders, and activists dream of securing this by Mansur’s ticket. He is a steering committee member of the Oikya Front.

ASM Abdur Rab
The constituency of Laxmipur-4 has long been an easy battleground for BNP and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD). JSD president ASM Abdur Rab lost all but one (1996) against the BNP here in 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2008 elections. He can compete with the symbol of the ‘Sheaf of Paddy’. A negotiation with BNP will give him an upper hand as there is always a hard contest between JSD and BNP here.

Ratan in Debidwar, Cumilla
JSD general secretary Abdul Malek Ratan is an aspirant at Cumilla-4 from Oikya Front. The BNP has all along won here between 1991 and 2001. BNP candidate Monjurul Ahsan Munshi competed all the four times. Though he could not contest in 2008 due to legal complications, he will remain in the field. Local members and leaders of the BNP also want him to contest. The coalition has to negotiate between BNP and JSD over the nomination here.
Malek Ratan said Cumilla-4 is his own locality. He is taking preparations to compete from here.

Doubts over Kader Siddiqui’s candidacy
Kader Siddiqui was elected from the constituency of Tangail-8, encompassing Sakhipur and Basail upazila, twice. In 1996, he won contesting from AL platform, and in 2001, he was elected again from the platform of Krishak Sramik Janata League (KSJL). He was defeated in 2008 contesting from KSJL. He plans to run from several constituencies in this election too. But, this is still uncertain as he has been listed as a loan defaulter by Agrani Bank.
Kader Siddiqui told Prothom Alo that despite having the loan re-scheduled, he was still identified as a loan defaulter by the bank authorities. He would take resort to the court over the issue, he added.

Manna in Bagura-2
There have been conflicts between the BNP and Jamaat over the Bagura-2 constituency (Shibganj) for a long time. The Awami League has never won the seat after the 1973 elections. Two of the former MPs Hafizur Rahman from BNP and Mawlana Shahadatuzzaman from Jamaat want to contest here.
None of the aspirants are ready for a negotiation. It is also the constituency of Mahmudur Rahman Manna, one of the top leaders of the Oikya Front and convener of Nagorik Oikya. Manna, a former vice president of DUCSU, has contested three times at this constituency since 1991.
He competed from the Janata Party once and from the Awami League twice, but could not win. He has the privilege of support from both BNP and Jamaat.

Akram in Narayanganj
SM Akram, the Nagorik Oikya adviser, has popularity in Narayanganj. He was elected from the Narayanganj-5 constituency from Awami League. He was defeated by the BNP candidate Abul Kalam in 2001. In 2008, the ruling party gave the seat to Jatiya Party which gave way to splits in the AL during the first city corporation mayoral polls. Akram supported Selina Hayat Ivy violating the party decision and he left the party after securing the victory for Ivy. Later, he joined Nagorik Oikya. He wants to compete from Oikya Front while BNP’s six-time candidate Abul Kalam seeks the nomination too.