AL may pick CEC's nephew for Patuakhali-3

SM Shahjada Saju, nephew of Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda, has been primarily selected as the ruling Awami League's nominee for Patuakhali-3 in the upcoming election, multiple party sources said.

The Awami League Parliamentary Board (ALPB), which nominates candidates for parliamentary polls, chose Saju over incumbent party lawmaker AKM Zahangir Hossain, added the sources.

Zahangir, a former state minister and also former general secretary of Chhatra League, is currently the president of Galachipa upazila AL.

Shahjada, a Barisal-based businessman, does not hold any party post. His mother Shakina Khanam is fifth among 11 siblings born to Abdur Rashid Khan and Meher Nega Khanam. CEC Huda is second among his three brothers.

Huda is from Baufal upazila which falls under Patuakhali-2 constituency.

Talking to The Daily Star last night, Shahjada said he sought AL's nomination for Patuakhali-3, but was yet to get a green signal from the party.

He said he was involved in Chhatra League politics during 1989-90.

AL sources said the party also picked former Chattogram mayor Manjur Alam, who won with backing from the BNP, to run in the December 30 polls from Chattogram-4.

Manjur was elected city mayor in 2010 defeating AL-backed candidate ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury.

Didarul Alam, the incumbent AL lawmaker from Chattogram-4, is Manjur's nephew.

Sources said the AL high-command was annoyed at the conflict between Didarul and Sitakunda upazila Chairman SM Al Mamun. Didarul has a longstanding rivalry with Mamun. For this reason, AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader did not join a scheduled rally in Sitakunda on his way to Cox's Bazar in September.

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, Manjur said he had sought nomination for Chattogram-10, where AL leader and former minister Afsarul Amin is a sitting MP.

According to the sources, the ALPB did not yet pick anyone for Sylhet-1, currently held by Finance Minister AMA Muhith.

On several occasions, the minister publicly said he would not contest the national election. On November 14, he announced that he would retire from politics on expiry of the incumbent government's tenure on January 28.

During the ALPB's meeting on Monday, AL President Sheikh Hasina said the party would nominate Muhith if he wanted to run, sources said.

JP, BIKALPADHARA LEADERS MEET PM

Jatiya Party Presidium Member GM Quader and Bikalpadhara Bangladesh President Prof AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury yesterday had separate meetings with Hasina, also the prime minister, at the Gono Bhaban. They discussed the seat-sharing issue, sources said.

Meanwhile, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday said they would announce an alliance-based nomination list by November 24 or 25.

Talking to reporters at his ministry office, the AL general secretary said his party would share 65 to 70 seats with its electoral partners.