Curtain drawn on nomination Defiance rules major parties

With the deadline for submission of nomination papers expiring yesterday, the contestants countrywide have converged on the starting line in the polls race on December 29.

Creating massive disarray in party-discipline, a large number of BNP and Awami League candidates have filed nomination papers as independents in the same constituencies at different places across the country. The anti-graft drive and the subsequent intra party reform feuds seem to have tainted the integrity of the dominant political parties.

Double candidature or frequent changes in nominations, sacrificing own party candidates for the shake of the alliances have made the aspiring mid-level leaders of both BNP and AL unmanageable, insiders said.

Defying party decisions, many have filed nomination papers in their chosen seats. As part of party strategy, the BNP and AL have also nominated more than one candidate in some of the constituencies.

BNP, Jamaat and their allies, Jatiya Party leaders and the defiant AL leaders mostly submitted nomination papers on the last day, yesterday.

BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia filed nomination papers for three constituencies in Feni and Bogra yesterday.

The electoral seats are Feni-1 (Phulgazi-Parshuram-Chagalnaiya), Bogra-6 (Sadar) and Bogra-7 (Gabtoli).

Top seven BNP "reformists", including the party's former secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, have applied to run as

independent candidates.

Bhuiyan (Narsingdi-3), the BNP chairperson's adviser ZA Khan (Dhaka-18), former state minister Mosharef Hossain Shahjahan (Bhola-1), former state minister Shah Md Abul Hossain (Barisal-4) and former lawmakers Abdul Alim (Joypurhat-1), Mofiqul Hasan Tripty (Jessore-1) and Mosharraf Hossain Mangur (Barisal-3) submitted nomination papers yesterday.



In Khulna, 48 candidates have submitted their nominations including a number of defiant AL leaders.

District AL president Sheikh Harunur Rashid submitted nominations in Khulna-1 and 2 constituencies while other two other AL leaders Sheikh Nurul Haque (Khulna- 6) and Panchanan Biswas (Khulna-1) also submitted nomination papers. All the three are former MPs.

The party, however, has nominated Nonigopal Mondol for Khulna 1 and Shohrab Al Sana for Khulna-6.

On the other hand, former AL MP Quazi Sekender Ali has bagged BNP ticket.

Kazi Faruque Ahmed, president of Oikkyoboddho Nagorik Andolon, who is still bargaining for grand alliance tickets, has also filed nominations in Khulna 2 and 5 constituencies. Begum Munnu Jan Sufian in Khulna-2 securing AL ticket.

Jamaat Ameer Maulana Matiur Rahman Nizami submitted his nomination for Pabna-1 constituency (Bera-Sathia).

The party filed 36 nominations countrywide, as their bargaining with BNP over seat sharing is yet to be resolved.

District AL secretary Adv Shamsul Huq Tuku, District Jatiya Party president Adv Abdul Matin, IOJ leader Qari Sharif Ahmed and Yasin Ali also submitted nominations for Pabna constituencies.

The nomination for BNP leader Adv Sheikh Wahiduzzaman Dipu was submitted for Bagerhat-1 constituency from where Awami League President Sheikh Hasina is going to contest.

Sheikh Hasina's nomination papers for the constituency have already been submitted.

As many as 202 candidates have submitted nomination papers for Dhaka city constituencies, district Election Officer Faisal Quader said.

The total number of nominations submitted against the 300 parliamentary seats was not available till filing of this report at 11:00pm yesterday.

In the stalled January 22, 2007 polls, about 2,000 candidates-both independent and nominees of 76 political parties-had submitted nominations.