Shifting from the party’s announcement on Thursday, Jatiya Party Presidium Member GM Quader on Friday said party Chairman HM Ershad was determined in not joining the upcoming 10th general elections.
He made the announcement at his Uttara residence in the city on Friday afternoon, a day after another presidium member of the party, Kazi Firoz Rashid, said Ershad had given his nod to participate.
After paying a visit to the party chief at Combined Military Hospital (CMH), GM Quader said: “Our party does not want to keep any involvements with the uncontested victory.
So, we have applied for nomination withdrawal. But the government returned those citing error in the letter’s submission date,” he added.
He also made it clear that any statement regarding the party would not be considered official unless GM Quader himself, or the Party’s Secretary General Ruhul Amin Hawlader, brief the media.
He said: "Some people are continuing to make contradictory statements over contesting the parliamentary polls which are simply not correct."
GM Quader, also the brother of Ershad, said: “To know our final decision, you [journalists] heave to wait a few days.”
On Thursday, Kazi Firoz Rashid said Jatiya Party got the consent of its Chairman HM Ershad to contest the upcoming national polls under Rowshan Ershad.
“With endorsement of Hussein Muhammad Ershad, Rowshan Ershad-led Jatiya Party will participate in the upcoming polls,” he said.
Earlier, HM Ershad was ‘detained’ after announcements that his party would not join in an the election without participation from all other parties.
Though authorities denied detention claims, suggesting that they were escorting him to a hospital, the former military ruler was not seen in the media since.