Ruling party Awami League has announced that it which of its candidates will contest the upcoming 11th general election under the party banner.
The party's General Secretary Obaidul Quader started distributing letters to the nominees around 10am on Sunday, at the party’s central office on Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka, said Awami League Office Secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap.
“Today we just handed over the letters but the list of candidates will be officially announced on Monday,” Quader told reporters.
Prime Minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina will contest from both Gopalganj 3 and Rangpur 6 constituencies, while Quader will run from Noakhali 5.
There are also a number of new faces among the ruling party’s nominees.
Bangladesh ODI cricket team captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has been chosen to contest from Narail 2 constituency, and movie star Akbar Hossain Pathan Farooque has been picked for Dhaka 17 constituency.
Farooque has been associated with the Awami League for more than five decades.
Four senior Awami League leaders have been left out from the nomination for the upcoming election. They are joint general secretaries Jahangir Kabir Nanak (Dhaka 13) and Abdur Rahman (Faridpur 1), and organizing secretaries BM Muzzammel Haque (Shariatpur 1) and AFM Bahauddin Nasim (Madaripur 3).
The Election Commission on November 12 had rescheduled the polls for December 30, instead of December 23.
The deadline to submit nomination papers is set for November 28; meanwhile, nomination papers will be scrutinized on December 2, and the deadline to withdraw from the running is December 8.