Bangladesh is holding its 12th general election amidst concerns about low voter turnout. However, 13 of 21 constituencies of Barisal division are likely to see strong competition in the race for parliament.
Barisal
Barisal-2 seat is likely to have tough competition. Workers’ Party's Rashed Khan Menon is contesting there with the Awami League’s Boat symbol as a member of the 14-party alliance. Monirul Islam Moni and AK Faezul Huq Raju are contesting as independent candidates. Besides, Trinamool BNP's Shahjahan Siraj is a strong candidate. There is Nakul Kumar Biswas of Krishak Sramik League.
Barisal-4 had Shammi Ahmed as the Awami League’s candidate, but her candidacy was cancelled due to having dual citizenship. Pankaj Debnath, former MP and expelled president of Swechasebak League, is an independent candidate for this seat. Besides, Jatiya Party leader Mizanur Rahman is also contesting in this seat.
Former mayor of Barisal Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah was an independent candidate in Barisal-5 but his candidacy was cancelled by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. Awami League's candidate for this seat is State Minister for Water Resources Zahid Faruk. Another independent candidate Salahuddin (Ripon) is also a strong rival.
Awami League candidate for Barisal-6 is Major General (Retd) Abdul Hafiz Mallik. Jatiya Party's candidate is Nasreen Jahan Ratna. Shamsul Alam Chunnu is an independent candidate. Abdul Hafiz Mallik and Nasreen Jahan Ratna are likely to be in a tight contest.
Pirojpur
Awami League candidate for Pirojpur-1 Constituency is Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim. District Awami League president and former member of parliament AKMA Abdul Awal is an independent candidate for this seat.
Mahrekul Azam Ravi, adviser to Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader, is the JaPa candidate for Pirojpur-3, one of the seats given up by Awami League. An independent candidate for this seat is the central vice chairman of the same party and four-time member of parliament Rustam Ali Faraji.
Jhalakathi
Expelled BNP leader and former MP Shahjahan Omar is contesting the election in Jhalakathi-1 with the Boat symbol. Besides, former leader of the BNP executive committee Abul Kashem Fakhrul is an independent candidate.
Barguna
Awami League candidate Dhirendra Debnath Shambhu is for Barguna-1 seat. He is the current Member of Parliament of this constituency. Three other leaders of the same party, Golam Sarwar Tuku, Khalilur Rahman and Golam Sarwar Forkan, have become independent candidates against him.
In Barguna-2, Awami League-nominated candidate Sultana Nadira and Jatiya Party's Mizanur Rahman may face some competition. Abdur Rahman, a former member of parliament from BNP, is contesting the election as a candidate of BNM in this seat.
Patuakhali
Awami League candidate for Patuakhali-3 is SM Shahjada. Independent candidate Lieutenant General Abul Hossain, Jatiya Party's Nazrul Islam, NPP's Saifur Rahman, BNF's ATM Kamrul Islam are competing with him. Competition will be between SM Shahjada and Engineer Abul Hossain.
Awami League nominated candidate for Patuakhali-4 is current MP Muhibur Rahman. Former minister of state for water resources Mahbubur Rahman Talukder is an independent candidate for this seat. There will be fierce competition between Boat candidate Muhibur and independent Mahbubur Rahman.
Bhola
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has shown her faith in the current Member of Parliament of Bhola-3 Constituency Nurunnabi Chowdhury Shaon. Jasim Uddin, former MP of the same party, is contesting in this constituency. Shaon is a strong candidate. There may be competition between the two candidates.
Chandpur
Awami League candidate Shafiqur Rahman is in Chandpur-4. His opponent is BNM candidate Dr Mohammad Shahjahan. Independent candidates are Jalal Ahmed, Dr Shamsul Haque Bhuiyan and Abdul Qadir Talukder.