Badruddoza meets Hasina at Ganabhaban

Bikalpadhara Bangladesh chief AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury has met Sheikh Hasina after deciding to contest in the elections under the Awami League-led Grand Alliance.

Badruddoza, who is also heading the Jukto Front alliance, held the meeting with the prime minister at her Ganabhaban residence for more than an hour on Tuesday night.

His son and the party’s Joint Secretary General Mahi B Chowdhury, and Secretary General Abdul Mannan accompanied him into the Ganabhaban.

Mahi, however, told bdnews24.com that Badruddoza was alone in the meeting with Hasina.

No leader of both parties agreed to comment on what Hasina and Badruddoza discussed amid polarisations in politics ahead of the parliamentary election slated for Dec 30.   

Badruddoza, who became the president of Bangladesh during the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami’s 2001-06 tenure, has announced to join the parliamentary elections under the umbrella of the Grand Alliance.

There has been no news yet on the share of parliamentary seats among the parties.

Badruddoza, son of Awami League leader Kafil Uddin Chowdhury, became the president of Bangladesh during the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami’s 2001-06 tenure.

The founding secretary general of the BNP, Badruddoza formed the Bikalpadhara after he was removed from the President’s Office.

He recently announced he was joining the parliamentary elections under the umbrella of the Grand Alliance.

His party had recently moved to form an alliance with Dr Kamal Hossain’s Gono Forum and the BNP.

The Bikalpadhara later parted ways with Dr Kamal saying it would not accept partnership with any anti-independence element like the Jamaat, which opposed Bangladesh’s freedom from Pakistan during the Liberation War.

SHARE OF SEATS

Mahi told bdnews24.com on Monday discussions were under way on the Bikalpadhara’s union with the Grand Alliance.

“Of course we will take a list of the candidates who will surely win while sitting with the Awami League,” he had said.  

The Awami League was ready to leave 65 to 70 seats for contenders from its allies in the election, its General Secretary Obaidul Quader had said recently.

A Bikalpadhara leader, requesting anonymity, said they made a list of 25 candidates.

“The Jukto Front will bargain to contest in at least 15 seats,” he added.

Badruddoza started interviewing the possible nominees of the Bikalpadhara and its Jukto Front alliance on Tuesday morning at their temporary election office at the Tropical Molla Tower in Dhaka.

The Jukto Front said it has sold 155 nomination forms until Tuesday.

“We hope the election will be free and fair. The people will be able to exercise their voting rights without any hindrance,” Badruddoza told the media at the office.