The rebel mayoral candidates of the ruling Awami League in three municipalities in Sylhet district have been carrying on with electioneering ignoring the party’s ultimatum to pull out.
On December 9, the ruling party’s central high command gave its rebel candidates across the country 24 hours to pull out, but two rebels in Golapganj, and one each in Jokiganj and Kanaighat are not paying heed.
Former lawmaker Shafiqur Rahman, also the general secretary of Sylhet district unit Awami League, told the Dhaka Tribune that the party would wait until the last date for withdrawing nomination – which is today – before taking actions like expulsion.
The two rebels in Golapganj are Sirajul Jabbar Chowdhury, joint secretary of the upazila unit Awami League, and Aminul Islam Rabel, general secretary of UK unit Jubo League. In this municipality, the candidate who got the party’s formal nomination is Jakaria Ahmad Paplu, the incumbent mayor.
Both rebel candidates here claimed that they had decided to run in the election independently – which means they will not be using the “Boat” electoral symbol of the party they support – because they have strong supporter base in the local grassroots of the party.
Faruq Ahmad, former joint convener of upazila unit Awami League, is the rebel in Jokiganj. The party selected Khalilur Rahman, a freedom fighter, for the mayoral race in this municipality.
The rebel candidate said the initial cancellation of his nomination was a result of a conspiracy. The proof is that he got back his candidature after appeal. He also termed Awami League ticket-holder Khalilur Rahman an “intruder” in local politics.
In Kanaighat, ruling party leader Nizam Uddin Al Mizan is the rebel. Incumbent mayor Lutfur Rahman, also convener of upazila Awami League, got the party ticket here. This reporter, however, could not contact Nizam over phone.
According to a source in the Awami League, the party has sent letters to the rebel candidates across the country asking them to pull out.
But three of these four rebel candidates, whom the Dhaka Tribune managed to contact until yesterday, claimed that they had not received any such letter as of yet.