Natore 1 constituency will be hotly contested in the upcoming elections with a total of 25 aspiring nominees lining up in the former BNP stronghold.
This is the only seat in the district of Natore to have had a four-term MP in the shape of the former state minister for sports, Fazlur Rahman Potol, and has seen three members of the same family hold office.
The constituency, covering the upazilas of Lalpur and Bagatipara, consists of 301,630 registered voters.
Awami League
The aspiring nominees for the ruling party in this constituency include the district unit Awami League senior vice-president and current MP, Advocate Abul Kalam Azad.
According to local Awami League leaders, the party’s situation in the constituency has gone downhill since he was elected in 2014.
Bagatipara upazila Awami League president Professor Abul Hossain, an aspiring boat nominee, claimed Azad has been “running a veritable dictatorship”.
“On August 26, a political leader under his command openly stated at a public rally that if he is not reelected, there will be blood,” he said.
“He has destroyed the party’s chain of command in the area, giving rise to plenty of intra-party issues with many tried and true leaders being sidelined. Moreover, he has been earning a lot of illicit money throughout his tenure.”
Another prospective candidate, Natore district Awami League organizing secretary Shahidul Islam Bakul, said Azad’s activities have “greatly harmed the structure, strength, and public standing” of the party.
However, Azad denied these allegations, saying that no issues had arisen and his party was in “perfect shape”.
“I should be able to win as the people and the party are behind him,” he said.
Azad will nevertheless be challenged for the ruling party ticket by former reserved seat MP Shefali Momtaz, and by Momtaz’s son, the former central Awami League sub-committee deputy secretary Shamim Ahmed Sagor.
Also in contention will be Bangladesh Krishi League central committee organizing secretary Atiqul Haque Atiq, Bangladesh Chhatra League’s former publicity secretary Ariful Islam Ujjal, and Awami League central sub-committee former deputy secretary Silvia Parvin Lenny.
The line-up is completed by Bangladesh Prajanma League central committee adviser and Bangladesh Shangshkritik League central committee vice president Lt Col (retd) Md Ramzan Ali Sarkar, Dhaka district Kamrangir Char unit Awami League vice-president AlHajj Anisur Rahman, and Natore district Awami League vice president Majed-ur-Rahman (Chad).
BNP
In the BNP camp, the race is on to reaffirm the seat as a party stronghold.
Nomination seekers include Kamrun Nahar Shireen, the wife of four-time MP Fazlur Rahman Potol.
Asked about her experience, Shireen said: “I worked with my husband diligently for years while he was in office. We helped the people, stood by the helpless, and saw many development projects through.”
BNP central committee deputy office secretary Taiful Islam Tipu has also thrown his hat into the ring.
“I have been with the party for 33 years and know 95% of the people in the constituency,” he said. “People want to see me as the BNP nominee.”
Also in contention are district BNP former organizing secretary Monjurul Islam Bimol, and Chhatra Dal central committee vice president, Tariqul Islam Titu.
Between the four candidates, Kamrun Nahar Shireen is at the forefront due to her affiliation with the former four-time winner.
Jatiya Party
Four candidates are seeking the Jatiya Party ticket.
They are former MP and Jatiya Party central committee vice president MA Talha, district Jatiya Party vice president Ashraful Alam Khan Dablu, district Jatiya Party joint secretary Advocate Sohail Rana, and Jatiya Party Lalpur Thana Committee president, Prof Shahin Islam.
Other parties
Alongside the major parties, a number of nominees from smaller parties are also in the race.
They are Workers’ Party North Bengal cane farmers’ president Prof Ibrahim Khalil, Workers’ Party leader cane farmer Ansar Ali Dulal, Jamaat-e-Islami central committee publicity secretary Tasnim Alam, JaSoD (Inu) central committee member Engr Md Moazzem Hossain, JaSoD (Inu) central committee member Shyamol Kumar Ray, and Islami Shashontontro Andolan Bangladesh leader Abdul Khaleque.
