Hasina to deliver 'tough message'

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League president, will give strong directives today to a record number of 4,000 aspirants vying for party nomination for the December 30 national election.

The number of the aspirants is almost double that of the 2008 election, when around 2,700 people sought the party's nomination. 

Breaking from tradition, instead of interviewing the over 4,000 prospective candidates in person, PM Hasina is likely to ask the hopefuls to extend full support to those candidates to be nominated by the party and she will stress that no rebel will be accepted, said party insiders.

They also said that the nomination seekers would go back to their respective constituencies with the PM's directives and start working for those nominated by the party.

The programme is scheduled to start at the AL president's Dhanmondi office at 11:00am, although party sources said the venue was subject to change owing to space constraints.

In the previous parliamentary elections, Awami League interviewed prospective candidates before finalising the party's aspirants, but this will not be done this time around.

According to its charter, the AL parliamentary board (ALPB) is supposed to finalise the candidates for contesting the election.

A top AL leader wishing anonymity said Hasina would give a strong message to the nomination seekers on having to abide by her decision regarding the final candidates.

“Netri [AL chief] has every information about all the prospective candidates. She knows better which candidate will be competent to fight the election battle to defeat our opponent. This is what she may say in her address to the nomination seekers,” said an AL leader.

“Apart from policy-making  directives to win the crucial election, she is likely to give a tough message on facing dire consequences if anyone contests the election [by] violating the party's decision,” he added.

An AL leader, who was present during the ALPB meeting on November 11 at the party's central office at Bangabandhu Avenue, afterwards said the parliamentary board may talk with the party's nomination seekers division-wise.

AL insiders said nomination seekers might have to wait a few more days to know their fates as early declaration of the final candidates could lead to intra-party feuds.

According to the revised polls schedule, the last date for filing nomination papers is November 28.

JUKTOFRONT UNDER THE GRAND ALLIANCE

Mahi B Chowdhury, a top leader of Juktofront, yesterday hinted that the party may contest the 11th general election under the banner of the AL-led 14-party grand alliance.

He said this after Juktofront's meeting with a delegation of Awami League officials at Hasina's Dhanmondi office.

Mahi said another meeting between the two parties in this regard would be held “very soon”.

Maj (retd) MA Mannan led the Juktofront delegation while AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader led the AL one.

CELEBRITIES TO JOIN AL POLLS CAMPAIGN

Popular film star Riazuddin Ahmed Siddiqui Riaz, television actor Jahid Hasan, his wife Sadia Islam Mou, also a television actor, among other distinguished personalities, may join the AL election campaign to woo voters.

Riaz, Jahid and Mou yesterday held a meeting with the AL's election publicity sub-committee at the party president's Dhanmondi office.

Popular actor Ferdous and television actress Shomi Kaiser were also present at the meeting, sources said.