A personal aide of HM Erashad denied that Jatiya Party has extended its support to any of the Gazipur mayoral candidate just hours after the party’s Gazipur unit formally threw its backing behind the BNP-backed candidate.
Jatiya party's Gazipur district general secretary, Nurul Islam, made an announcement in the morning of offering “official support on behalf of the Jatiya Party” to the BNP-backed mayoral candidate MA Mannan in the upcoming polls, scheduled to be held on July 6.
However, Ershad’s press and political secretary, Sunil Shubho Roy, in a statement in the late afternoon said they were yet to make any decision of supporting any candidate in Gazipur City Corporation elections.
The statement said media reports about JP’s support to any of the candidates in the mayoral race were “not true.”
“No one in the party has the authority to announce support for any of the candidates without direction from the central command.”
“However, the party workers and leaders have full freedom to support and vote for any of the candidates of their choice since the party-supported candidate has withdrew himself from the race,” it reads.
It also said both of the candidates met Ershad to seek his blessings, and the party chief greeted and wished both of them best. But he didn’t make any announcement of extending his party’s support to any of the duo.
However, JP’s Gazipur unit general secretary, Nurul Islam, made the announcement of extending their support in the morning during a press briefing of Mannan at his main campaign office in Gazipur.
“Mannan met our party president HM Ershad for his blessings on Tuesday. And now, I, on behalf of the party, officially extend our support to the main opposition-backed candidate.” he said.
Nurul Islam also said his party workers have already been working actively in Mannan’s campaign shortly after Jatiya Party-supported candidate pulled himself out of the race.
BNP Standing Committee members Tariqul Islam, AHM Hannan Shah, and Hefazat-e-Islam Nayeb-e-Ameer Shah Ahmed Abdullah were also present at the briefing.
