Lakshmipur is known as a BNP-dominant area in the country. The party had won in all constituencies of the district in the national polls held in 2001 and 2008. The BNP and other opposition parties had boycotted the parliamentary polls of 2014. Awami League bagged all the seats from the district in that one sided poll. This time the BNP wants to retrieve all the four.
BNP has already announced candidates in two of the four constituencies. One is Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee, the party’s joint secretary general, and the other is Abul Khair Bhuiyan, an adviser to the party chairperson. The remaining two constituencies are reportedly being kept for alliance partners. According to sources in the central BNP, a decision on this may come soon.
On the other hand, Jamaat-e-Islami has already announced candidates in all the constituencies. The party has never won a parliamentary seat from this district before. All of Jamaat’s candidates are new faces. They have been running election campaigns in the area for several months.
However, no one from Jamaat has ever become a member of parliament from this district. In the second national parliamentary election of 1979, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Master Shafiqul Ullah was elected from the then Noakhali-12 constituency (now Laxmipur-3) as a candidate of the Islamic Democratic League. Later, he contested the 1991 election from Laxmipur-3 as a Jamaat candidate but was not successful.
Lakshmipur1 (Ramganj)
BNP has not yet announced a candidate for this constituency. In 2018, the nominee here was Shahadat Hosen Selim, chairman of BNP’s alliance partner, the Bangladesh Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). He is seeking the nomination from this seat again and has already been active in the election campaign.
Shahadat Hosen Selim told Prothom Alo, “I have been active in the field with BNP and alliance leaders and activists for a long time. The people of Ramganj know me and are aware of the work I have done for them. Therefore, I hope that BNP and its alliance will give me the nomination this time as well.”
However, the BNP’s nomination aspirants in this constituency include the party’s Dhaka metropolitan south joint convener Harunur Rashid, current president of Ramganj upazila Mozammel Hosen, former president Shahab Uddin, Mashfiqul Hoss, son of former state minister Ziaul Haque, and former joint secretary of the central committee of the Jubo Dal, Md. Imam Hosen.
However, the BNP’s Chattogram division organising secretary Mahbubur Rahman Shamim told Prothom Alo last night, “Shahadat Hosen Selim will contest from Lakshmipur-1 with the dhaner shish (paddy sheaf) symbol. This has been confirmed to me by the BNP’s acting chairman.”
The Jamaat nominated candidate from this constituency is the party’s Ramganj upazila ameer Nazmul Hasan Patwary. He told Prothom Alo, “The people of Ramganj want change, peace, and good governance. I am working towards that goal alongside the grassroots activists.”
Meanwhile, there has been long-standing discussion that interim government’s information adviser Mahfuz Alam could contest from this constituency. His brother and NCP joint secretary Mahbub Alam is also active in the area.
Mahbub Alam told Prothom Alo that if his brother Mahfuz Alam resigns from the government, he may contest the election. Otherwise, Mahbub Alam himself wants to run from NCP. No final decision has been made on this yet.
Lakshmipur-2 (Parts of Raipur and Sadar)
To avoid party conflicts in Lakshmipur-2, BNP’s chairperson Khaleda Zia had contested the elections in 1996 and 2001. This time, Abul Khayer Bhuiyan has hot the BNP nomination. He is a member of the BNP chairperson’s advisory council.
Abul Khayer Bhuiyan told Prothom Alo, “This seat is a BNP stronghold. With grassroots unity and public support, we will certainly be victorious.”
Jamaat-e-Islami’s candidate here is the party’s district amir M Ruhul Amin Bhuiya. Ahead of the election, he and the party’s activists have increased organisational and social activities.
Ruhul Amin Bhuiya told Prothom Alo, “This time, Jamaat-e-Islami has become a major factor for BNP in this constituency.”
Lakshmipur-3 (Parts of Sadar)
BNP’s joint secretary general Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee is the party’s candidate in this constituency. The party’s organisational situation is strongest in this constituency among the four in the district. Former central president of Chhatra Dal, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury has also been elected as a member of parliament twice before.
Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee told Prothom Alo, “Lakshmipur is my birthplace, my political ground. I have been elected twice to parliament by the people’s vote, and I believe this time too, the people will make BNP victorious again.”
Jamaat-e-Islami central working council member and secretary of Dhaka north city unit, Rezaul Karim has been nominated as the party candidate here. He is a former central president of Islami Chhatra Shibir.
Rezaul Karim told Prothom Alo, “The people of Lakshmipur want change. They want an honest, justice-based, and welfare-oriented society. We have entered the field with that goal in mind.”
In this constituency, Nur Mohammad, president of Lakshmipur district committee of Gono Odhikar Parishad, is also active.
Lakshmipur-4 (Ramgati and Kamalnagar)
BNP has not yet finalised its candidate in this constituency. There is speculation that the seat may go to BNP’s alliance partner, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD).
The party’s leader ASM Abdur Rob was last elected as a member of parliament from this seat in 1996. Later, in 2001 and 2008, BNP’s co-ordinator for industry and trade affairs, A B M Ashraf Uddin Nizam, was elected. He is also an aspirant for BNP’s nomination this time.
On the other hand, ASM Rob’s wife, Tania Rob, wants to contest this time from JSD as the BNP alliance candidate. She told Prothom Alo, “ASM Abdur Rob is unwell, but his ideals and struggle remain in the hearts of the people here. As the heir to those ideals, I want to stand by the people.”
However, BNP leader A B M Ashraf Uddin Nizan is unwilling to give up the seat for the alliance. He told Prothom Alo, “I have been elected twice by the people of this area. I have stood by them in good and bad times and sincerely contributed to development. Now, if someone else is given priority for alliance reasons, I will not step aside from serving the people.”
In this constituency, Jamaat-e-Islami’s candidate is A R Hafiz Ullah, the party’s district secretary. He told Prothom Alo, “The people of Ramgati and Kamalnagar have long been neglected. With the prayers and support of the people, I want to free them from this politics of neglect.”
Additionally, Islamic Andolan Bangladesh’s adviser Khaled Saifullah, Gono Odhikar Parishad’s student affairs secretary Redwan Ullah Khan, and AB Party’s candidate Mia Arif Sultan are actively campaigning in this constituency.