The newly-elected members of parliament (MPs) in the 11th general election have already taken their oaths of office, and the new cabinet formation is expected within few days. The cabinet of the Awami League, who just secured a landslide victory in the general polls, is a highly anticipated one, and people everywhere are watching it with much expectation and speculation. As in the rest of the country, the question “Who will be minister?” is the topic of conversation and discussion among local Awami League leaders and the general people of Naogaon.
According to party sources, at least three hopefuls among the elected lawmakers of Naogaon’s six constituencies are being considered as frontrunners in the cabinet race. Of the three favourites, one is a four-time elected MP and the other two are both three-time elected MPs.
Naogaon 1 (Niamatpur, Porsha, Sapahar upazilas)
In the cabinet race, Sadhan Chandra Majumder from Naogaon 1 constituency is a much discussed aspirant. He served as a member of the parliamentary standing committee in the ministry of religious affairs in the outgoing 10th parliament. Heavy rumors are swirling in his constituency that he might get a ministerial post in the new cabinet. Sadhan has been elected MP for the third consecutive term and is also serving as the Awami League general secretary of the Naogaon district unit. Though Naogaon 1 was previously known as a BNP stronghold, Sadhan became lawmaker of that seat for the first time in the 2008 9th general election by beating BNP heavyweight Salek Chowdhury, also a two-time elected lawmaker. In the 2014 10th general polls, Sadhan was elected MP uncontested, and he beat BNP candidate Mostafizur Rahman in the recently held 11th general polls.
Awami League Executive Committee Member Abed Hossain said: “Sadhan is a politician who rose up from the grassroots. He was a union parishad chairman first, then became upazila parishad chairman and finally was elected as MP. He has the image and popularity of a dirt-free politician, and we all want to see him in the new cabinet.”
Naogaon 2 (Patnitala and Dhamoirhat upazilas)
According to party sources, the four-time elected MP for Naogaon 2 constituency Shahiduzzaman Sarker alias Bablu Sarker is also under consideration for a ministerial post. He was elected MP in the 1991 general election for the first time, and was elected three more times consecutively since the 2008 elections. In the 11th general election, he defeated his opponent BNP candidate Shamsuzzoha Khan by around 71,466 votes. He also served as the whip of the 10th parliament. Shahiduzzaman has huge popularity in his constituency, and his supporters also hope to see him as a minister from Naogaon in the new cabinet.
Shahidul Islam, former principal of Dhamoirhat MM Degree College, said: “Shahiduzzaman is a four-time elected MP of the Awami League government. He is widely popular in his locality and in the national political arena for his image as a transparent politician. He is also a highly educated person with all the qualities to be in the cabinet. For the sake of the development of our locality, we would very much like to see him as a minister.”
Naogaon 6 (Raninagar and Atrai upazilas)
Another three-time MP from Naogaon 6 constituency Israfil Alam is also a preferred aspirant in the cabinet race. In the recently concluded 11th general election, he beat his opponent BNP heavyweight Alamgir Kabir, also a three-time elected MP and former state minister for housing and public works, by around 143,714 votes. People from all social strata in his constituency have high hopes for him in the new cabinet.
Raninagar upazila Awami League General Secretary Mafizuddin said: “Raninagar and Atrai upazilas were once notorious for violent conflicts and bloodshed. The situation drastically changed after Israfil established peace after being elected MP. We want to see him in the cabinet.”
Apart from the trio mentioned above, Awami League government’s Textile and Jute Minister Emaz Uddin Pramanik is also being considered as minister. The veteran politician was elected MP seven times, as he had participated in 10 different general polls, from the Pakistan period’s 1970 provincial election to the 2018 11th general elections. Emaz Uddin is also a recipient of Swadhinata Padak (Independence Day Award) for his great contribution in the Liberation of War of Bangladesh.