Seven nomination seekers from the ruling Awami League in Rajshahi 1 constituency have joined forces against incumbent parliamentarian and the party’s Rajshahi unit president, Omor Faruk Chowdhury.
The so-called “seven-star” group accuse the sitting MP of neglecting party leaders, of giving important party posts to former BNP activists who later joined Awami League, and of maintaining ties with Jamaat and misbehaving with party activists.
On the other side, Jamaat-e-Islami acting chief and former MP Mujibur Rahman will likely contest the seat. If he joins the fray, it will be a headache for Jamaat’s key ally, BNP.
Jamaat cannot participate in the election as a party, having lost its registration with the Election Commission last month.
BNP boycotted the most recent election in 2014 and risks losing its own registration if it also sits out this one.
If BNP and Jamaat join hands and pick a single candidate, then there will be a fighting chance of unseating the ruling party in Rajshahi 1 constituency. But a candidate from Jamaat would mean less of a winning chance for the BNP candidate since it would divide the voters.
The Rajshahi 1 constituency, comprised of Godagari and Tanore upazilas, has 383,259 registered voters.
Allegations pile up against MP Faruk
Sitting MP Omor Faruk Chowdhury first contested the election in 2001 but lost to BNP’s Aminul Haque.
After Aminul went into hiding to avoid arrest in 19 cases filed against him, his elder brother, Enamul Haq, fought against Faruk in 2008 but lost the election.
Faruk retained the seat in 2014 after the BNP-led alliance boycotted the polls but now finds himself mired in controversy and the centre of a co-ordinated bid to unseat him by the “seven-star” group.
They are: retired additional inspector general of police Motiur Rahman, Awami League’s Tanore upazila unit chief and Mundumala Municipality mayor Golam Rabbani, the party’s district unit vice-president Bodruzzaman Robu Mia, Maqbool Hossain, Godagari Municipality mayor Monirul Islam Babu, former chairman of Godagari Upazila Parishad AKM Ataur Rahman Khan, and Krishok League’s Rajshahi unit vice-president Advocate Abdul Wahab James.
Motiur accused MP Faruk of neglecting the locality’s development, letting BNP-Jamaat activists join the Awami League, and taking no steps to stop the acts of sabotage by Jamaat activists, among other complaints.
Maqbool’s words made the division in the party clear.
“He (Faruk) joined Awami League from BNP in 2000 but has good relations with BNP and Jamaat. He has divided the party … I doubt any Awami League activist will go to the polling stations if he is nominated,” Maqbool said.
“We will work for anyone else nominated by the party, other than him.”
Faruk rejected the allegations. “The party chief will nominate the person who has winning chances. The aspirants should work for the party. The people are with me,” he said.
Who will get BNP’s nomination?
While former MP and minister Aminul Haq is the front runner for BNP, the party’s other nomination seekers include Khaleda Zia’s former adviser Zahurul Islam, the party’s former district unit youth affairs secretary Sajedur Rahman Khan, and BNP’s California unit joint secretary Shahadat Hossain Shahin.
BNP central committee vice-president Aminul Haq won the Rajshahi 1 seat three times from 1991 to 2001 and has twice served as a minister. He has been actively campaigning in the locality ahead of the election and is the favourite pick among local voters
But Jamaat’s acting chief Mujibur, who was elected to parliament in 1986, is also reportedly trying to get the nomination from the BNP-led alliance.
Jamaat activists are optimistic about their chief getting the nomination from the alliance, but Mujibur’s move has caused some concern among Aminul’s supporters.
There has been no clear indication about who will be picked by the BNP-led alliance. The party has recently joined the newly-formed Jatiya Oikya Front, led by Dr Kamal.
It is unclear if or how BNP’s latest move will affect the party’s selection of candidates for the upcoming election.
