Maya's ticket cancelled

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina yesterday cancelled the AL nominations for Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya and incumbent Mohammed Shamsul Hoque Bhuiyan of Chandpur, AL sources said.

Maya's nomination for Chandpur-2 was given to local AL leader Nurul Alam Ruhul while Shamsul's ticket for Chandpur-4 was given to Jatiya Press Club President Muhammad Shafiqur Rahman.

Hasina handed over the nomination papers to Nurul and Shafiqur after calling them to the Gono Bhaban yesterday, according to AL sources.

Sources said there are allegations of defaulting on loans against Mofazzal and Shamsul.

Meanwhile, Hasina yesterday called in and consoled four other high-profile AL leaders who did not get nominations and asked them to stay with her and the party.

Hasina advised the party's joint general secretaries Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman and organising secretaries BM Mozammel Haque and AFM Bahauddin Nasim to continue their support for the party.

The AL leaders went to the prime minister's official residence the Gono Bhaban in the afternoon at her invitation, AL insiders said. 

During the meeting, Hasina told them that she made the decision [not to nominate them] for “election purpose”. “I did what I assumed to be the best,” she told them.

Sadek Khan was nominated for Dhaka-13 where Nanak is an incumbent while AL Office Secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap got the party ticket for Madaripur-3 where Bahauddin Nasim is the current MP.

Incumbent Mozammel Haque of Shariatpur-1 was denied nomination and Iqbal Hossain Apu got it. Monzur Hossain Bulbul was nominated in Faridpur-1 instead of incumbent MP Md Abdur Rahman.