Awami League central working Committee member and media personality Mohammad Ali Arafat has thrown his hat in the ring to contest the upcoming Dhaka-17 by-polls.
He along with 11 others obtained party nomination forms from the ruling Awami League as of Monday.
Tuesday is the last date for collecting and submitting the nomination form for the by-polls.
The party will decide on its candidate in a meeting of Awami League nomination board chaired by the party President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina next Saturday.
According to Advocate Sayem Khan, deputy office secretary of the Awami League, apart from Mohammad A Arafat others who have obtained party nomination forms are: Mohammad Musa, former Secretary and President Mujibnagar BCS Freedom Fighter Officer association, Mohammad Wakil Uddin, a member of the Awami League National Committee; Abdul Kader Khan, vice President of Dhaka City North Awami league; Nurul Islam Tamiji, advisor of Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote; Arafat Ashwad Islam, a primary member of Gulshan Thana Awami League; Md Zakir Hossain, acting president of Dhaka Metropolitan North Jubo League; Abu Sayeed, former advisory council member of Cantonment Thana Awami League; and Abdul Khalek, former industries and commerce secretary of Bangladesh Awami Jubo League; A K M Jasimuddin, President of Bananai Thana Awami League; Kaniz Fatema Sultana, health secretary of Dhaka City North Awami League and actor Mohammad Siddiqur Rahman who is also a General Secretary of Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote (partial).
Party insiders said among the people collecting nomination papers, Mohammad Wakil Uddin and Abdul Kader Khan sought party nomination from this constituency for last couple of elections.
Mohammad A Arafat, who used to appear in several TV talk shows for Awami League, has never sought a party nomination from any constituency. However, this time his desire to contest the Dhaka-17 by-polls got attractions from several quarters.
The Dhaka-17 constituency fell vacant following the death of ruling Awami League lawmaker and noted film actor Akbar Hossain Pathan Farooque in May.
The upcoming by-polls in the Dhaka-17 constituency is scheduled to be held on July 17.
According to the election schedule, the last date for submitting nomination papers is June 15, while the date for scrutinizing nomination papers is June 18, and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is June 25.
Legendary actor Farooque breathed his last at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore on May 15.