Picking a comparatively new face for Jhalakathi-2 and attacks on the candidate have hampered the BNP's election campaign in the constituency, comprising Sadar and Nalchity upazilas.

The party also has to deal with a controversy over the role of the contender's father in the 1971 Liberation War.

The candidate -- Zeeba Amina Khan -- will vie with an Awami League heavyweight, Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, in the December 30 polls.

Amu is criticised for not keeping in touch with the voters, said locals, adding that he would also have to face their anti-incumbency sentiments. 

However, the AL is vigorously campaigning on his behalf.

Visiting different areas of Sadar and Nalchity upazilas on Monday, The Daily Star correspondents saw AL leaders and activists conducting electioneering, using megaphones, holding rallies and bringing out processions. AL posters were seen hung almost everywhere.

In a sharp contrast, a district BNP office was found locked and only a few posters of its nominee were seen.

 "There were [BNP] posters in some areas of the town, but those were torn down. However, nothing will stop the BNP [from winning] here. It is waiting for the right time to get on the ground and campaign," said a party supporter in front of the office.

Monirul Islam Nupur, general secretary of Jhalakathi BNP, said they were not being able to campaign properly due to "repeated attacks on our candidate by Awami League men".

Alleged Chhatra League and Jubo League men attacked the motorcade of Zeeba on December 13. The BNP leaders and activists came under another attack the same day when they went to the Returning Officer's Office to lodge a complaint.

A similar attack took place in Nalchity two days later, Nupur said.

"Jhalakathi is a BNP stronghold. If we can cast votes freely until noon [on the voting day], we will win," he told The Daily Star.

After restoration of democracy in 1991, the BNP won in the constituency twice, the Jatiya Party once and Amu thrice (uncontested in 2014 and in bi-polls in 2000).

This time, the BNP had initially fielded Israt Sultana Elen Bhutto, an ex-MP, as its candidate but later nominated Zeeba, a member of the party's central executive committee.

The change came following demands by some local party leaders, who said Bhutto maintained no contacts with the voters in the last 10 years, said party sources.

Asked whether there was any division within the party over the candidate, Nupur said, "We all are united for the restoration of democracy. Bhutto will also join the campaign soon."

Another BNP leader, wishing anonymity, said they were facing difficulties as Zeeba was comparatively a new face. Besides, Bhutto used to get strong support from her upazila, Nalchity.

Amu and Zeeba are both from Sadar upazila.

The AL and its front organisations in the district denied the allegations and blamed BNP's internal conflict for the attacks.

Khan Saifullah Panir, general secretary of Jhalakathi AL, claimed they were getting good response from the voters.

He also said the BNP fielded a "daughter of a Razakar" and people would not vote for her.

On Amu being “aloof” from the voters, he said, "Amu comes to his constituency more than any other central leader of other areas and keeps a close contact with the people."

ZEEBA'S FATHER

Dulal Saha, former deputy commander of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad in Jhalakathi, alleged that Zeeba's father Akhter Uddin Ahmed was a Muslim League leader and he worked against the Liberation War.

Akhter was a member of AM Malik's cabinet in 1971.

"He fled the area after the war and went to Saudi Arabia via Pakistan," added Dulal, also an adviser to the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal central committee.

He said the Muktijoddha Sangsad of Jhalakathi in 2012 had sent a list of Razakars and other Pakistani collaborators to the International Crimes Tribunal. Akhter was named in the list, he said.

"As a freedom fighter, I can't accept the BNP's decision to field the daughter of anti-liberation person," he added.

Speaking to The Daily Star over phone on Monday, Zeeba said her father was not an "anti-liberation element". She said her father became a member of the AM Malek cabinet "to ensure security of the people".

Insisting that her father did not commit any crimes, Zeeba claimed that he got general amnesty declared by the Bangabandhu administration after the war.

According to records, out of 37,000 people sent to jail on charges of collaborating with the enemy, about 26,000 were freed following the amnesty declared on November 30, 1973.

Zeeba claimed that her father had been in Bangladesh until 1974.

Blue-collar constituents, sympathy vote, and parochialism are likely to play a pivotal role in the city's three major constituencies, Chattogram-9, -10 and -11.

In Chittagong-11 (Port-Patenga), factory workers would be the major factor as the Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ), Karnaphuli Export Processing Zone (KEPZ), and the Chattogram Port are located there.

According to the Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority sources, there are about two lakh workers in CEPZ and 75,000 in KEPZ and 6,000-7,000 work in and around Chattogram Port.

Local sources said Chattogram-11 has the highest number of voters, a little over five lakh, and more than two lakh of them are factory workers.

Incumbent and Awami League-led alliance candidate MA Latif and Oikyafront candidate Amir Khashru Mahmud Chowdhury, former law maker from the constituency, are optimistic of getting the blue-collar vote.

Khashru, also a former minister, told The Daily Star, “Apart from expanding the activities of the port during our rule, we created huge job opportunities establishing the CEPZ and KEPZ.

“I was elected from this constituency four times and have done everything possible for the wellbeing of the workers. I am sure they will cast their votes again for me if they can go to the polling centres,” he added.

He claimed he could not campaign freely due to attacks by ruling party men and arrest of his leaders and activists.

Interestingly enough, MA Latif too claims he has the blue-collar votes almost in the bag. He told The Daily Star, “The workers are the main strength for me. I am sure 90 percent of more than two lakh workers will vote for me. 

“I have been providing them with essential commodities, including rice, lentil, edible oil and salt at half the price for the last 10 years … You can ask the workers what I have done for them.” he added.

Khadiza Begum, a worker at Sea Tax garments in CEPZ, said the candidate who gets support of the workers usually win in this constituency.

“We have been facing severe problems of accommodation and transportation,” she said, adding that they would vote for whoever is capable of solving the issues. 

In Chattogram-9 (Kotwali-Bakalia), public sympathy would be a factor for the AL-led alliance candidate Mohibul Hasan Hasan Nowfel, also the organising secretary of the party, and Oikyafront candidate Shahadat Hossain, also city unit president of BNP.

Both are first timers in Chattogram-9.

Nowfel is the son of late three-times Chattogram city mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury while Shahadat is in jail and has been shown arrested in at least 11 cases, which many say are false and fabricated.

“My father was a grassroots activist and loyal to the father of the nation and her daughter until his last breath. Hasina has recognised his efforts by nominating me,” said Nowfel, adding that people know that just like his father, he would be with the grassroots.

Badrul Anwar, chief election coordinator of Shahadat, said, “Our candidate has been arrested before the election to keep him out of the race. They did not even let us campaign freely. It has made the voters sympathetic towards our candidate.”

He said if the voters could go to the polling centres, Shahadat would definitely win. 

 Shama Pada Dey, a resident of Alkaran area, said being the son of the late mayor, Nowfel has been getting a lot of attention wherever he goes. But

some people also have sympathy for Shahadat.

“People with no political affiliation have not accepted the arrest of Shahadat before the election,” he added.

A few others echoed Shama while talking to The Daily Star at the bus stop in front of the General Post Office.

In Chattogram-10 (Double-mooring), localism might be the key factor. AL led alliance candidate Afsarul Amin Chowdhury on the campaign trail has been saying that Oikyafront candidate Abdullah Al Noman is an outsider.

Afsarul told The Daily Star, “My opponent is an outsider; he is not even a voter of this constituency. I have been running from this constituency since 1996. The voters here elected me twice, which paved the way for me to be a minister.”

He claimed that he had conducted massive development projects over the last 10 years and that people would recognise that.

Noman, also a former minister, termed Afsarul's comments unexpected. “I have been with the people of this constituency for a long time and have implemented many development projects, including establishment of Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Science University.”

He said people would ignore such unfair comments and vote for him if they could go to the polling centres.

Mohammed Faizullah Pappu, general secretary of the Sonali Residential Area Welfare Association in North Agrabad, said the local and outsider issue was indeed a factor in 2014 and it is a factor this time too.

A few people The Daily Star spoke to in Halishahar Housing Estate, Noyabar, and Bou Bazar, said local or outsider did not matter.

There are six constituencies in the city but Chattogram-4, -5 and -8 are made up of mostly Sitakunda, Hathazari, and Boalkhali upazilas.

Even the last day of electioneering was marred by attacks on four aspirants from the BNP and the Jatiya Party yesterday, leaving at least 15 people injured.

With the electioneering for the 11th parliamentary polls scheduled to end at 8:00am today, Awami League candidates were seen vigorously campaigning in different places across the country.

However, their archrival, the BNP candidates, and even candidates of Jatiya Party, AL's election ally, were hardly seen, in a scenario prevalent throughout the 17-day campaigning, when ruling party men electioneered whilst others allegedly faced attacks or police harassment.

Besides, at least 40 BNP-Jamaat men were arrested on different charges in different districts yesterday.

In Pabna, at least three supporters of Jatiya Oikyafront candidate for Pabna-1 Prof Abu Sayeed were injured when alleged AL men attacked his motorcade in Selonda Bazar area of Santhia upazila. However, Sayeed remained unhurt.

“We were out campaigning and when our motorcade reached Selonda Bazar area where a group of criminals attacked our team. They opened fire and vandalised [the vehicles],” Sayeed said, while talking to The Daily Star.

Asked, Tapon Haider Sun, Santhia upazila unit AL general secretary, said, “We are busy with our campaign. I don't know any news of such attacks.”

Contacted, Md Jahangir Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Santhia Police Station, said, “There was a police protection team but the attackers came suddenly and attacked. Police charged batons to disperse the attackers and brought the situation under control quickly.”

Sayeed had come under criminal attacks repeatedly around 17 to 18 times since campaigning began on December 10.

Elsewhere in Chattogram, at least three persons were injured when miscreants attacked the motorcade of JP aspirant for Chattogram-16 Mahmudul Islam Chowdhury in Green Park area of Banshkhali upazila yesterday morning. However, the candidate was unhurt.

“I was campaigning in the area and when my motorcade reached Green Park area, miscreants threw stones targeting our motorcade and attacked us with sharp weapons,” Mahmudul, also a former mayor of the Chattogram City Corporation, told The Daily Star.

He, however, could not identify the attackers. But he alleged that police were present on the spot and played a silent role.

Contacted, Kamal Hossain, OC of Banshkhali Police Station said, “It was not a big incident. While they [the candidate and his supporters] were returning after electioneering some miscreants threw stones at their vehicles.”

This was the second attack on Mahmudul in a span of a week. On December 21, at least 24 of his activists sustained bullets injuries when alleged ruling party men attacked his rally in Banshkhali upazila's Chambal Bazar area.

In Cumilla, nine BNP men were injured when alleged AL men attacked the campaign of BNP candidate for Cumilla-5 constituency Md Yunus in Nimshar Mokam area under Burichang upazila around 2:00pm yesterday.

Md Masud, president of Nimshar Mokam union unit Jubo league, denied the allegation and said BNP men attacked AL men who were holding a meeting in the area.

Akul Chandra Biswas, OC of Burichang Police Station, said, “Hearing news of the violence, police rushed to the spot and safely rescued the BNP candidate from the spot and took him to his residence. If the candidate files any compliant, then we will take action.”  

In Mymensingh, miscreants allegedly attacked the campaign of BNP's candidate for Mymensingh-3 M Iqbal Hossain and vandalised his car in Tangadipara village under Bokainagar union of Gouripur upazila yesterday afternoon.

Talking to journalists, Iqbal alleged that he had been campaigning at different spots since morning but when he came to Tangadipara at afternoon, miscreants attacked him with local weapons and vandalised his car to create panic among the BNP men and common people.

After the incident, Iqbal filed complaint with the local returning officer.

Iqbal also alleged that he, along with his supporters, faced obstructions in electioneering since the beginning of electioneering. He also claimed that police filed case against those who were involved BNP politics and even arrested some of them.

Contacted, OC of Gouripur Police Station Abdullah Al Mamun, said none filed any compliant regarding the incident. But he later heard that that villagers had clashed with Iqbal as he had gone there to distribute money.

Meanwhile in Kishoreganj, a local BNP leader died after suffering a cardiac arrest which was apparently triggered by police firing blanks at the residence of BNP's candidate for Kishoreganj-5 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Sararchar union under Bajitpur upazila yesterday evening.

The deceased was identified as Shaheed Miah, vice president of Sararchar union unit BNP.

BNP men alleged that Mujibur had held a press conference at noon at his residence where he expressed concerns over his life's security ahead of the polls. Later in the evening, police raided his residence where they fired blanks and beat up BNP men.

At that time, Shaheed Miah was in his nearby office.

Hearing the sound of gun fire and seeing police action on BNP men, Shaheed panicked and went into a cardiac arrest. Then, Shaheed was taken to the local hospital where on-duty doctors declared him dead, said Mazaharul Islam, nephew of Shaheed.

Contacted, Shafiqul Islam, inspector (investigation) of Bajitpur police station, said a clash had erupted between the supporters of AL and BNP and police opened fire to disperse them.

Asked about the death, Shafiqul said he knew nothing about the death.

In Cox's Bazar, at least seven people were injured when police charged baton on the activists of BNP's nominee for Cox's Bazar-3 candidate Lutfor Rahman Kajol in Kurushkul while they were going to attend the last day's election rally yesterday.

Police lobbed two rounds of tear shells and fired several rounds of blanks.

Sources said activists of Kajol were coming from Cox's Bazar city and the adjoining city areas to attend the rally at the tourist city at 3:00 pm.

But police charged baton on them at several places, including Kurushkul connecting road, Kolatoli, Kalur Dokan area and Bus terminal area.

Officer-in-charge of Cox's Bazar Sadar Model Police Station Farid Uddin Khandokar said they were carrying sticks during the procession.

They tried to disperse them when they refused to leave, he said.

In a different sort of incident in Manikganj, BNP candidate for Manikganj-1 Khondaker Abdul Hamid Dablu, whose nomination was declared valid by the High Court on December 24, has been virtually confined to his residence at Pachuria village under Ghiorupazila for the last two days.

Police were maintaining a round the clock presence in front of Dablu's residence and were arresting any BNP activist who came out of his home.

Talking to The Daily Star, Bablu said none of their supporters now come to meet Dablu in fear of arrests. Besides, AL men on motorcycles ride around the residence in intervals to spread panic.

Currently, Dablu has not been able to get out of his house and conduct electioneering, alleged Bablu.

Rifat Rahman Shamim, police superintendent in the district, rejected the allegation and said police had not gone to Dablu's residence.

Meanwhile in Narayanganj, police arrested five of a family, including the parents of a supporter of independent candidate for Narayanganj-3 Abdullah Al Kaiser, from Senpara area under Kanchpur upazila in the early hours of yesterday.

Police claimed that they had recovered drugs and locally-made weapons from the arrestees. The victims' relatives rejected the allegations.

Meanwhile, an Awami League supporter has been beaten to death allegedly by BNP supporters at Nolkot village of Sylhet Sadar upazila under Sylhet-1 constituency yesterday night at around 10:00pm.

The deceased, Koysor Miah, 35, son of Mahmud Ali of the village, is a Kuwait expatriate and had recently returned to Bangladesh.

Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran, president of Sylhet city AL and the convenor of AL candidate for Sylhet-1's electoral management committee, said, “He, along with some other supporter, went out of his house with the AL candidate's leaflet to distribute in the village and locked into an altercation with some BNP supporters.”

BNP supporters then apparently beat him to death.

Denying the allegation, Ali Ahmed, general secretary of Sylhet district BNP, said that the incident might have been related to an intra-party feud of AL.

SM Shahadat Hossain, officer-in-charge of Jalalabad Police Station, confirmed the incident without naming any accused and said police were looking into the matter.

Besides, police arrested eight BNP-Jamaat men in Mymensingh, two in Chattogram, two in Chapainawabganj and 28 in Sylhet yesterday on different criminal charges.

Since electioneering began on December 10, motorcades, campaign rallies and offices and even houses of at least 56 contestants, mostly from BNP, have been attacked by alleged supporters of AL at different places across the country.

Around 790 BNP-Jamaat men were arrested during the time while 1,175 people, including candidates, were injured from many parties, including the left ones.

The attacks did not even spare the candidates of Jatiya Party and Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, both electoral allies of the AL.

There was even no respite from violence even after deployment of army on December 24.

'SITUATION UNDER CONTROL'

Election Commissioner Brig Gen (Retd) Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury yesterday claimed that the situation was under control. “I admit that a bit of tension is prevailing centring the election. I want to term it 'political heat',” he told reporters at the Nirbachan Bhaban.

He also said that armed forces would act only when police, Rapid Action Battalion and Border Guard Bangladesh failed to control any untoward incident during the election.

"There are police, Rab and BGB to maintain law and order. The armed forces will intervene where police, Rab and BGB fail. The armed forces are our last resort," he added. 

Seven BNP candidates yesterday filed separate election petitions with the High Court challenging the legality of the December 30 national election to their constituencies, citing widespread irregularities.

In the petitions, they appealed for cancelling the election results of their constituencies and directing the Election Commission to hold fresh elections there.

The BNP leaders are Saiful Islam Firoz from Jhenidah-4, Naser Rahman from Moulvibazar-3, Hafiz Ibrahim from Bhola-2, Jahiruddin Swapan from Barishal-1, Shah Riazul Hannan from Gazipur-4, Abul Kalam Azad from Tangail-7 and Abdul Hai from Munshiganj. 

The HC is yet to set any date for hearing the petitions.

Ruhul Kuddus Kajol, a lawyer for the petitioners, told The Daily Star that they would appeal to the HC for declaring the December 30 polls illegal as it was a “farcical” one.

Even dead people were shown casting votes, which is nothing but a clear evidence of a “farcical” election, he added. 

More BNP leaders may file similar petitions before the HC today, BNP insiders said.

The BNP and the Jatiya Oikyafront, an alliance of BNP and some other parties, rejected the polls results, alleging huge irregularities in the election.

The Awami League-led grand alliance secured 289 seats, while the Oikyafront got only eight seats.

The Oikyafront MP's-elect are yet to take oath in parliament.