A total of 78 aspirants from ruling Bangladesh Awami League have collected forms seeking nominations in the bi-elections to five vacant constituencies. Party’s Office Secretary Biplab Barua said candidates for the vacant seats will be finalized by the Party’s Nomination Board through a meeting scheduled to be held today (Saturday) evening at Ganobhaban, the government residence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Earlier, the meeting was scheduled to be held on Friday (yesterday) but it has been deffered for today. On the other hand, seven aspirants from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have collected nomination forms for contesting in the bi-elections to three of the five vacant constituencies.
According to Awami League party official sources, on the last day of form collection, on Friday, as many as 78 partymen collected nomination forms seeking party tickets to contest the bi-elections to vacant five constituencies. All of them have also submitted their forms to the office of the party president located at the capital’s Dhanmondi. The process for the distribution of nomination forms was started on February 11 and ended at 5:00pm Friday.
Party sources also said that the highest number of 25 aspirants have collected nomination forms for contesting the Gaibandha-3 Constituency. Besides, 19 aspirants collected forms for Bagura-1, 13 aspirants for Jashore-6, 11 for Bagerhat-4 and 10 others for Dhaka-10 constituencies.
Aspirants for Gaibandha-3 Constituency
Those who collected nomination forms for Gaibandha-3 Constituency are Umme Kulsum Smrity, Shah Md. Yiaqub Ul-Azad, Md Mahmudul Huq, AKM Moksud Chowdhury, Md Mafizul Huq Sarkar, Md Fazlul Karim, Md Omar Faruq, Md Azizer Rahman Khan, Gopal Chandra Burman, Rehana Begum, Tamanna Sharmin, Tofazzal Hossain, MS Rahman, Abu Bokker Prodhan, Shahria Khan, Zaridul Huq, Aminul Islam, Md Saddam Hossain, Majeder Rahman Dulu, Burul Islam Prodhan, Dilara Khandaker, Shahadat Raja, Matiar Rahman and Md Sayeed Reza.
Aspirants for Bogura-1 Constituency
Mozahidul Islam Biplab, Jahangir Alam, Ziaurur Rahman Sheikh, Dr. Siddiqur Rahman, Dr. Md Moqbulur Rahman, Sahadara Mannan, Rezaul Karim Montu, Abdur Razzaq, SM Khabiruzzaman, Md Zakir Hossain, Md Chhaler Uddin, Abul Kalam Azad, Rezaul Karim, Advocate Montajur Rahman Montu, Shahjahan Ali, Alamgir Shahi, Md Achhalat Zaman and Advocate Fazlul Huq Sabuj.
Aspirants for Bagerhat-4 Constituency
Those who collected nomination forms for Bagerhat-4 Constituency are Mizanur Rahman Johny, Dr. Abdur Rahim Khan, Advocate Amirul Alam Milon, Prabir Ranjan Halder, Naqib Najib, Ismat Ara Shirin Chowdhury, Mosharraf Hossain, SM Raju, Md Jamil Hossain, Badiuzzaman Sohag and SM Monirul Islam.
Aspirants for Jashore-6 Constituency
Sheikh Abdur Rafiq, Shahin Chaklader, Md Abdul Mannan, HM Amir Hossain, Wahid sadiq, Nowrin Sadiq, Tapos Kumer Das, Hossain Mohammad Islam, Shyamal Sarkar, Sheikh Abdul Wahab, Md Kamruzzaman, Tanvir Ahmmed Bipu and Joydev Nandi.
Aspirants for Dhaka-10 Constituency
Major (Retd) Yiad Ali Faqir, Md Shafiul Islam Mahiuddin, Advocate Bashir, Adam Tamij Huq, Dr. Abdul Wadud, Moazzem Hossain Khan Majlish, Md Kuddusur Rahman, ASM Qamrul Ahsan, Kazi Morshed Kamal and Md. Sayeed Khokan. Meanwhile, seven aspirants have bought BNP’s nomination forms to contest the upcoming by-polls to three parliamentary seats in Dhaka, Bagerhat and Gaibandha. They collected the nomination forms from BNP’s Nayapaltan central office on Friday. Of them, party leaders Rabiul Islam Robi collected the form for contesting the Dhaka-10 by-election, while Kazi Muniruzzaman, Monirul Haque, Kazi Khairuzzaman Shipon Bagerhat-4 and Mainul Hasan Sadik, Rafiqul Islam and Mizanur
Rahman Sarker Gaibandha-3 by-polls.
Party’s nomination board will finalise the candidates for the three by-elections after interviewing the nomination seekers. The by-elections to Gaibandha-3, Bagerhat-4 and Dhaka-10 constituencies will be held on March 21 as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission on February 6.
According to the schedule, the deadline for the submission of nomination paper is February 19, while the date for scrutinising the nomination paper is February 23 and the last date for the withdrawal of candidacy is February 29. Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be used in Dhaka-10, while traditional ballot papers in Gaibandha-3 and Bagerhat-4 constituencies in the elections.
Gaibandha-3 and Bagerhat-4 constituencies fell vacant following the death of Awami League MPs Dr M Yunus Ali Sarker on December 27 and Dr Mozammel Hossain on January 10 last respectively. But the Dhaka-10 fell vacant as AL MP Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh resigned on December 29 to contest the Dhaka South City Corporation election. Moreover, 20 aspirants collected nomination forms for contesting the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) election while 405 for its 41 general ward councillor posts and 14 reserved posts.