Seven former top Chhatra Dal leaders contesting the election

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has nominated seven former leaders who previously served as president or general secretary of the central committee of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal to contest the upcoming national parliamentary election.

Among them, five served as presidents of Chhatra Dal, while two served as General Secretaries.

The former Chhatra Dal presidents who have received BNP nominations are Fazlul Haque Milon, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury (Anee), Azizul Bari Helal, Sultan Salahuddin (Tuku), and Rajib Ahsan.

Among the former general secretaries, Amirul Islam Khan and Habibur Rashid are contesting the parliamentary election.

Fazlul Haque Milon served as president of the central committee of Chhatra Dal in 1992.

He currently holds the position of president of Gazipur District BNP and is contesting the Gazipur-5 (Kaliganj) constituency as the BNP candidate with the Sheaf of Paddy symbol.

His opponent in this constituency is Khairul Hasan, nayeb-e-ameer of Gazipur district Jamaat-e-Islami and a member of its central majlish-e-shura, who is contesting as the candidate of the Jamaat-supported 11-party electoral alliance.

Shahid Uddin Chowdhury served as president of Chhatra Dal in 1997 and previously acted as convenor of the Dhaka University unit of Chhatra Dal. He is contesting the Lakshmipur-3 (Sadar) constituency with BNP nomination.

He has previously been elected as a member of parliament on two occasions and currently serves as joint secretary general of the BNP.

In this constituency, the Jamaat-led 11-party electoral alliance has nominated Rezaul Karim, a former president of the central committee of Islami Chhatra Shibir.

Former Chhatra Dal president Azizul Bari Helal is contesting from the Khulna-4 constituency (Rupsa, Terokhada, Dighalia). He served as president of Chhatra Dal in 2004 and currently holds the post of Information Secretary of the BNP.

Sultan Salahuddin served as president of the central committee of Chhatra Dal in 2010, having earlier acted as convenor of its Dhaka University unit. He is contesting the Tangail-5 (Sadar) constituency in the current election.

After his tenure in Chhatra Dal, he also served as president and general secretary of Jubo Dal and currently holds the position of publicity secretary of the BNP.

Rajib Ahsan served as president of Chhatra Dal in 2014. He is contesting the Barishal-4 constituency (Hizla–Mehendiganj–Kazirhat).

Following his tenure as Chhatra Dal president, he now serves as general secretary of the Jatiyotabadi Swechchhasebak Dal.

Among the former general secretaries of the central committee of Chhatra Dal, two are contesting the election with the Sheaf of Paddy symbol. They are Amirul Islam Khan and Habibur Rashid.

Amirul Islam Khan, who served as general secretary of Chhatra Dal in 2010, is contesting the Sirajganj-5 constituency (Belkuchi–Enayetpur–Chauhali) as the BNP candidate. He previously served as president of the Dhaka University unit of Chhatra Dal.

Habibur Rashid served as general secretary of Chhatra Dal in 2012 and is contesting the Dhaka-9 constituency with the Sheaf of Paddy symbol.

Amanullah Aman, former convenor of the central committee of Jatiyotabadi Chhatra Dal, was elected vice-president of the Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU) in 1990.

While serving as vice-president, he contested the Fifth National Parliamentary Election in 1991 and won a seat in Parliament. He is contesting the Dhaka-2 constituency in the current election.

He currently serves as a member of the Advisory Council to the chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Khairul Kabir Khokon, the BNP candidate for the Narsingdi-1 constituency, served as general secretary of DUCSU alongside Amanullah Aman in 1990. He currently holds the position of joint secretary general of the BNP.

Former Chhatra Dal leader Mohammad Mahbuber Rahman Shamim served as assistant general secretary of the Chittagong University Central Students Union (CUCSU) in 1990.

He is contesting the Noakhali-6 constituency as a BNP candidate. In this constituency, the Jamaat-led 11-party electoral alliance has nominated Abdul Hannan Masud, senior joint chief coordinator of the NCP.

According to several leaders of the BNP central committee, approximately 34 former leaders of the central committee of Chhatra Dal, excluding former presidents and general secretaries, have received party nominations in the current election.

They also stated that several individuals who previously served in district-level Chhatra Dal committees have also secured nominations.

In the Shariatpur-3 constituency, the BNP has nominated Mia Nuruddin Ahmed (Apu), who previously served as assistant editor of the central committee of Chhatra Dal.

In the Khulna-3 constituency, the BNP has nominated Rakibul Islam (Bakul), a former vice-president of the central committee of Chhatra Dal.

In the Sylhet-2 constituency, the BNP has nominated Tahsina Rushdi, who served as president of the Kuwait Maitree Hall unit of Dhaka University Chhatra Dal. She is the wife of BNP leader M Ilias Ali, who was a victim of enforced disappearance.

In the Faridpur-4 constituency, the BNP has nominated Shahidul Islam, who previously served as senior vice-president of the central committee of Chhatra Dal. He currently serves as central general secretary of the Krishak Dal.

In the Tangail-3 constituency, the BNP has nominated SM Obaidul Haque, who served as senior joint secretary of the central committee of Chhatra Dal and also held the position of member secretary of the Dhaka University unit of Chhatra Dal.

In the Munshiganj-3 constituency, the BNP has nominated Md Kamruzzaman, a former joint secretary of Chhatra Dal. In the Madaripur-3 constituency, the BNP has nominated Anisur Rahman Talukder, who previously served as organising secretary of the central committee of Chhatra Dal.

In addition, several other former leaders of the central committee of Chhatra Dal are contesting the election with the Sheaf of Paddy symbol.

Chhatra Dal is the student wing of the BNP. Commenting on the nomination of former Chhatra Dal leaders as candidates, BNP publicity secretary Sultan Salahuddin told Prothom Alo over the phone that the party considers all relevant factors when selecting candidates.