AL Nomination: Some MPs, top leaders 'left out'

Some incumbent Awami League lawmakers and top leaders are unlikely to get party nomination this time, as the ruling party has decided to part with controversial and unpopular candidates, multiple sources have said.

As part of the process, the ruling party high-ups already dropped a number of sitting MPs and senior leaders from the nomination list.

The sources confirmed 13 such names to The Daily Star yesterday, saying the list contained more names. But they declined to give any more names.  

All the 13 are incumbent MPs. Two of them are also organising secretaries of the party.

They were dropped on the basis of six survey reports prepared by government agencies and private organisations that portrayed them in a bad light, according to the sources.   

However, all 42 AL lawmakers in the cabinet are likely to get nomination, they added.

The party also postponed finalising candidates in two seats held by its two joint secretaries, said the sources, requesting anonymity citing party discipline.

The two seats are Dhaka-13, now held by Jahangir Kabir Nanak, and Faridpur-1, currently held by Abdur Rahman.

The Daily Star has also obtained names of around 30 candidates who secured nomination.

The AL Parliamentary Board (ALPB) finalised the draft nomination list Saturday for 232 seats out of the 300. The party did not finalise any candidates for the seats it will set aside for its allies. 

Party organising secretaries BM Mozammel Haque of Shariatpur-1 and AFM Bahauddin Nasim of Madaripur-3 are not on the list.

In their stead, AL Central Committee Member Iqbal Hossain Opu got nomination for Shariatpur-1 and party office secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap for Madaripur-3.

“We emphasised on clean image, popularity, acceptability and good ties with the people and grassroots units of the party. We also considered allegation of corruption against the candidates,” said a member of the ALPB, which finalises party nomination.

The AL is expected to announce a candidate list, which will include candidates of its allies, within a day or two, said the ALPB member.

Over the last few days, components of the AL-led 14-party alliance and HM Ershad-led Jatiya party repeatedly requested the AL not to announce candidates in the seats that the ruling party wanted to offer to its partners.

The 11 other MPs left out are ATM Abdul Wahab from Magura-1, Abdul Wadud Dara from Rajshahi-5, Monirul Islam from Jashore-2, Mohammed Amanullah from Mymensingh-11, Khandaker Asaduzzaman from Tangail-2, Amanur Rahman Khan Rana from Tangail-3, Suhrab Uddin from Kishoreganj-2, Sukumar Ranjan Ghosh from Munshiganj-1, Iftiquar Uddin Talukder Pintu from Netrokona-3, Col (retd) Shawkat Ali from Shariatpur-2 and Abdur Rahman Badi from Cox's Bazar-4, the sources said.

Saifuzzaman Shikor, APS-II to the PM, got nomination for Magura-1, former IGP Nur Mohammad for Kishoreganj-2, AL Cultural Affairs Secretary Asim Kumar Ukil for Netrokona-3 and AL Organising Secretary Enamul Haque Shamim for Shariatpur-2, according to the sources.

Though the AL did not finalise any candidates for the seats it plans to share with its allies, it already picked Salman F Rahman, adviser to AL chief Sheikh Hasina, for Dhaka-1 where Jatiya Party Presidium Member Salma Islam is an incumbent MP.

In the 20 seats in Dhaka, 13 incumbent MPs will get nomination. The AL has not decided about three seats that are now held by its allies. The Daily Star could not learn the names of the candidates for Dhaka-17, Dhaka-18 and Dhaka-20. The decision about Dhaka-13, now held by Nanak, will be made later.  

Dhaka-4 and Dhaka-6 are now held by Jatiya Party while Dhaka-8 by Workers Party, both AL allies. The AL did not finalise candidates for those seats. 

Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF) chief Abul Kalam Azad is incumbent MP of Dhaka-17.

The BNF is not an AL ally, and former military ruler and JP Chairman HM Ershad, now special envoy to the prime minister, wants to contest from this constituency this time.

Dhaka-18 and Dhaka-20 are now held by AL Presidium Member Shahara Khatun and MA Malek. 

According to the sources, Sagufta Yasmin and Mrinal Kanti Das were selected to run from Munshiganj-2 and Munshiganj-3 respectively.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam had bought nomination form to contest in Munshiganj-2.

Other nominees selected include Sanowar Hossain (Tangail-5), Hasan Imam Khan (Tangail-4), Panchanan Biswas (Khulna-1), Abdus Salam Murshedi (Khulna-4) and Narayon Chandra Chanda (Khulna-5), Sirajul Islam Mollah (Narsingdi-3), Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju (Narsingdi-5), Biren Sikder (Magura-2), Dipu Moni (Chandpur-3), HM Ibrahim (Noakhali-1), Mohammed Ekramul Karim Chowdhury (Noakhali-4), Nurul Islam Sujan (Panchagarh-2), Ramesh Chandra Sen (Thakurgaon-1), Dabirul Islam (Thakurgaon-2), Manoranjan Shill Gopal (Dinajpur-1), Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury (Dinajpur-2), Dhirendra Debnath Shambhu (Barguna-1) and Showkat Hasanur Rahman Rimon (Barguna-2), the sources said.

All of them are incumbent MPs.

Former Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Mohammed Farashuddin was an AL aspirant for Habiganj-4, but the AL nominated incumbent MP Mahbub Ali for that seat.