Awami League leaders and activists staged demonstrations and scuffled with police in at least five districts of the country on Monday, protesting the candidates declared by the ruling party for the upcoming general election.
In Jhalokathi, Awami League leaders and activists staged demonstrations demanding the cancellation of the nomination for lawmaker Bazlul Haque Haroon.
BH Haroon was given the Awami League ticket for Jhalokathi 1 constituency (Rajapur-Kanthalia). A protest procession was brought out from the upazila unit Jubo League office around 10:30am.
At one point, police tried to obstruct the procession and scuffles between the law enforcement officials and the Awami League, Jubo League, and Chhatra League men ensued. Police eventually charged batons to disperse the procession.
Later, the Awami League leaders and activists brought out a broom-wielding procession. In the afternoon, they blockaded the Khulna-Barisal Highway in the Rajapur area, laying logs on the road and setting them fire in protest of Haroon’s nomination.
Awami League activists stage demonstrations demanding the cancellation of nomination for lawmaker Bazlul Haque Haroon in Jhalokathi on Monday, November 26, 2018 | Dhaka TribuneIn Kurigram, Leaders and activists of the district Awami League staged a demonstration in the morning, demanding that a candidate be nominated from within the party.
Earlier, Awami League had announced that about 230 candidates would contest the general election from within the party, while the remaining constituencies would be allocated to partners in the ruling alliance. Candidates for Kurigram 2 and 3 are yet to be declared by the party.
The disgruntled Awami League activists blockaded different points on the Rangpur-Kurigram highway, felling trees and electric poles, until they were dispersed by police.
The Awami League supporters later staged a rally at the Zero Point area of the district town from 10am to 1pm.
District Awami League Vice-President Chashi Karim, Badiul Alam, Sheikh Babul, and Sayed Hasan spoke at the rally, among others.
Agitated Awami League activists blockade Dhaka-Sylhet Highway demanding a candidate from within their party for Sylhet 2 constituency on Monday, November 26, 2018 | Dhaka Tribune
In Narsingdi, leaders and activists of Awami League staged a demonstration in the Shibpur municipality area, demanding the nomination of MP Sirajul Islam Molla.
They also protested the nomination of Zahirul Islam Bhuya in the constituency.
In Kushtia, supporters of Awami League's nomination aspirants blockaded the Kushtia-Paragpur Road, and demanded the cancelation the nomination of AKM Sarwar Jhan Badsha in Kushtia 1 constituency.
In Sylhet, Awami League leaders and activists blockaded the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway in the Biswanathpur area, demanding that Awami League leader Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury or Anwarruzzaman Chowdhury gets the nomination.
In Netrakona, supporters of Awami League's nomination aspirants blockaded the Netrakona-Kalmakanda road.
Police and locals said the protesters included least 26 AL nomination aspirants from Netrakona-1 constituency, where Awami Leagues's Chhabi Bishwas is the incumbent lawmaker.
This year, district Awami League President Manu Majumdar, the brother-in-law of Chhabi Bishwas, got the party ticket.
Protesting the nomination, supporters of rejected candidates brought out procession, wielding sticks, at noon.
They described Manu Majumdar as an “outsider,” as he hails from Ishwarganj upazila, and demanded that anyone from Kalmakanda get the nomination.
A chase and counter-chase ensued when police tried to disperse them.
