Overlooked Madaripur-1 candidate’s supporters block Dhaka-Bhanga Expressway

They set tyres on fire, urging the cancellation of Kamal Zaman Nuruddin Mollah’s nomination

Supporters of a BNP leader have blocked the Dhaka-Bhanga Expressway after he was denied the party’s nomination for the Madaripur-1 constituency.

The demonstration began around 7:30pm on Monday, said Shibchar Highway Police chief Jaharul Islam.

Five BNP leaders had sought the party’s nomination for the Madaripur-1 constituency, which covers Shibchar Upazila.

Earlier in the day, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the names of 237 party candidates at a press conference at the party chairperson’s political office in Gulshan.

Among them, Kamal Zaman Nuruddin Mollah, former convenor of Shibchar Upazila BNP, was nominated to contest from Madaripur-1.

Shortly after the announcement, supporters of Sajjad Hossain Siddiqui Lavlu Chowdhury, joint convenor of Madaripur district BNP and an aspiring MP candidate, blocked the Dhaka-Bhanga Expressway to protest the decision.

They set tyres ablaze and demanded the cancellation of Kamal’s nomination.

Both Shibchar Highway Police and Shibchar Police later arrived at the scene and dispersed the protesters, said Jaharul, adding that traffic had since returned to normal.