Like elsewhere in the country, potential candidates have already started seeking party nomination in Meherpur district to contest the upcoming parliamentary election.
Candidates, hopeful of obtaining party tickets, have started campagning in the respective areas to motivate voters and get opinions in favour.
Mujibnagar Upazila and Meherpursadar together make up Meherpur-1 constituency. In Meherpur-1 constituency there are a total of 2,69,605 voters. Among them 1,33,609 male voters and 1,35,995 female voters and 1 transgender.
Awami League has won this seat four times since 1991 till 2018. Also, when the BNP member of parliament who won the 1996 election, Ahmed Ali, died, the Awami League candidate, Professor Abdul Mannan, won the by-election in 1999.
On the other hand, BNP has won three times. Awami League has held this seat since 2008. The current MP Professor Farhad Hossain was elected as the first MP in 2014. After being elected again in 2018, he is carrying out the responsibility of State Minister of Public Administration of the government.
Meanwhile, it seems that BNP candidates in the contest are far less in numbers than the ruling party. However, there are plenty of AL leaders who are in public place discussions. The number of candidates who are expected to seek nomination from AL in this seat are not very few.
Around 11 people obtained party nomination papers of AL in Meherpur-1 constituency for the 11th National Parliament election. Among them, the current Member of Parliament Professor Farhad Hossain got nomination from the party.
The rest are abstaining from contesting in the election and campaigned indirectly and directly for the nominee. But former MP Zainal Abedin defied the party's decision and submitted his nomination as an independent candidate. Later he withdrew the nomination papers due to a pressure from the party high ups.
It is learnt that out of those 11, the current member of parliament wh is also local Awami League president and State Minister of Public Administration Professor Farhad Hossain, former MP Zainal Abedin, former ZillaParishad Chairman, Mizan Ali, present municipal mayor Mahfuzur Rahman Riton, Chhatra League leader M.A.S Emon, current Upazila Chairman and a few others are expected to seek the nomination.
Meanwhile, to continue the development of the district, the district residents prefer the current MP the district AL president who is also the state minister of public administration Prof. Farhad Hossain as a MP again.
The reason most people in the areas say that after the independence no visible development took place but since AL government took over substantial developments were noticed and that is why most people prefer the current member of parliament to continue representing the constituency.
Professor Farhad Hossain said, “I am the representative of the people. I do not represent any opportunists. I have no cadre force. I work with the development of the area. No one could have done the development as fast and efficiently as I have done. People want me again as a MP to continue this visible and ongoing development.”
Meherpur district AL Education and Human Resource Affairs Secretary AbdusShukurEmon said, “I am in the field of politics with the promise of change. If I get nominated, my main aim will be to solve the unemployment problem of Meherpur.”
The district BNP president and former MP MasudArun said, “We are not against elections. BNP wants to go to the elections by establishing the voting rights of the people. A prerequisite is the establishment of a neutral, non-partisan caretaker government. For that purpose, BNP is conducting mass movement on the basis of 1-point demand. The party is getting stronger at the grass root level by involving people in the struggle for their rights.”
Abdul Hadi, who is in charge of Meherpur district convener of Jatiya Party, said that the overall situation of JP in Meherpur is well organized. Young people are flocking to us. Many disappointed workers of AL, BNP are joining JP politics here.