Supporters of BNP National Executive Committee Local Government Affairs Secretary Principal Sohrab Uddin brought out a torch procession and blocked a highway on Tuesday night demanding that he be nominated for the Kushtia-3 (Sadar) constituency.
Hundreds of activists gathered at Madhupur Bazar in Sadar upazila around 8pm and marched with torches before blocking the Kushtia–Jhenaidah highway.
They chanted slogans demanding the withdrawal of the nomination of Engineer Zakir Hossain Sarkar and its reinstatement in favour of Sohrab Uddin. They also shouted slogans against the Awami League and its shutdown program.
Protesters said leaders and activists from six unions joined the demonstration.
They claimed Principal Sohrab Uddin had been leading the district BNP for 45 years and had always stood by grassroots activists, while the nomination had been “incorrectly given” to Engineer Zakir.
They urged the BNP high command and acting chairman Tarique Rahman to reconsider the decision, saying Sohrab Uddin faced only political cases and no corruption allegations. They warned that without his nomination, BNP would lose the seat.
The protesters also announced a tougher program if the nomination was not changed. Leaders and activists from local BNP, Jubo Dal, Chhatra Dal and other pro-Sohrab groups took part.
Traffic on the highway returned to normal around 8:30pm after the program ended.
