Awami League and its main opposition rival BNP are both facing internal feuds over their leadership and nominations for the upcoming parliamentary election in Panchagarh 1 constituency.
The seat is home to Jamiruddin Sircar, one of the founding members of BNP who served as the acting president of Bangladesh for three months in 2002 and is also a former speaker of the national parliament.
Jamiruddin retained Panchagarh 1 for BNP at the national polls in 1996, and 2001 before surrendering the seat to AL in 2008.
BNP aspirants including his son are already actively campaigning in Panchagarh 1 even though the party boycotted the most recent election held in 2014 - when an independent candidate won the seat - and it is yet to decide whether it will participate this time.
The constituency is comprised of Panchagarh Sadar, Atowari and Tetulia upazilas has a total of 376,073 registered voters.
Awami League frontrunners
A wide field of ruling party candidates in Panchagarh 1 include the party’s district unit senior vice-president, Mazharul Haque Prodhan, who won the seat in 2008 before standing down in 2014.
“I sacrificed my candidacy in the previous election in the greater interests of the party,” he said. “This time I hope to receive a nomination.”
Mazaharul hinted at running as an independent candidate if he loses the BNP nomination to any one of the local party’s general secretary Anwar Sadat Samrat or its leaders Naimuzzaman Mukta and Md Monir Hossain.
The party’s local unit is now divided in four groups, who look more interested in campaigning for themselves than resolving disputes over the formation of the district committee, local government programs, and land occupation.
“There is no internal feud but rivalry over nomination,” the party’s district unit President Md Nurul Islam Sujan said.
Like father, like son for BNP
Now aged 86, the veteran lawmaker Jamiruddin Sircar has announced that he will not run for the election due to his physical condition.
Instead his son - BNP’s International Affairs General Secretary Nawshad Jamir - will lead the challenge to Panchagarh municipality mayor and local BNP leader Md Towhidul Islam and BNP Tetulia upazila unit general secretary Md Rezaul Karim Shaheen.
Grassroots leaders think it is necessary to resolve the discord among the activists before the election otherwise it will be difficult for them to win the seat.
There has been no functional district committee in the party over the past nine years, which is why the party lacks local leadership.
“The leader who works for the party will be awarded a nomination,” Jamiruddin said. “I ask all local leaders and activists to work together for the candidate the party selects.”
According to a source, if BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is not released from jail in time to contest the upcoming election, Jamiruddin is likely to run as a candidate from any of the seats in which she was expected to stand.
The experienced lawmaker is seen as a safe pair of hands: in April 2009, Jamiruddin was elected to parliament in a by-election from the Bogra 6 seat vacated by the former prime minister.
Incumbent stands again
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal General Secretary Nazmul Haque Prodhan was elected to parliament as an independent MP from Panchagarh 1 in the previous election, and is seeking a nomination under his party banner.
“I hope voters will elect me again as I worked a lot for them in the past five years,” he said.
Jatiya Party’s district unit General Secretary Abu Salek, who lost to Nazmul in the 2014 election, is also vying for a nomination again.
“I am hopeful of winning in the election if the party contests alone or as a component of the Awami League-led grand alliance,” he said.
Salek blamed Awami League’s internal dispute for his defeat in the previous election.
Other candidates include Jatiya Ganatantrik Party leader Rashed Prodhan and Jamaat-e-Islami Panchagarh district unit Maolana Abdul Khalek.
