Polls freer, fairer under emergency: Ershad

Jatiya party chairman HM Ershad demanded the holding of Jatiya Sangsad and upazila elections under the state of emergency, on Tuesday, saying it was the only way to get honest people elected.

bdnews24.com
Published : 12 August 2008, 09:49 AM
Updated : 12 August 2008, 09:49 AM
Jessore, Aug 12 (bdnews24.com) – Jatiya party chairman HM Ershad demanded the holding of Jatiya Sangsad and upazila elections under the state of emergency, on Tuesday, saying it was the only way to get honest people elected.
Mentioning that the recent city and municipal elections were freer, fairer and more peaceful than at any other time in the past, he said: "To get honest and efficient people elected to parliament and keep corrupt people in jail, hold upazila and parliament elections under emergency."
Ershad added: "We want reform and qualitative change of politicians."
Ershad was speaking at a function at Keshabpur, Jessore, at which Maulana Sakhawat Hossain, known to have been loyal to numerous political parties at different times, joined the Jatiya Party—and within 25 minutes of joining was made a presidium member.
Sakhawat joined the Jatiya Party offering a bouquet to Ershad at the function held at the ASHK Sadek auditorium in Keshabpur.
Ershad announced that Maulana Sakhawat—who has been affiliated with Jamaat-e-Islami, BNP and PDP among other parties—would be the party candidate to contest the next Jatiya Sangsad election from Jessore 6 (Keshabpur) constituency.
He was also given the post of organising secretary of the party's Jessore district unit.
Maulana Sakhawat was originally elected a lawmaker from Jessore 6 on a Jamaat-e-Islami ticket.
A few months before expiry of his tenure, he joined BNP. He was elected an MP on a BNP nomination in the Feb 15, 1996, election. At the time, he was made religious affairs secretary of the BNP central committee. In the same year, a few months later, he contested the 6th Jatiya Sangsad election on a BNP ticket, but was defeated by Awami League candidate ASHK Sadek.
Sakhawat also failed to clinch a BNP nomination in the 2001 election and contested as an independent candidate. He was defeated again by ASHK Sadek. Later, the BNP expelled him for violating a party decision by participating in the polls.
After remaining inactive in politics for a long time, and at the tail end of the four-party alliance term, Maulana Sakhawat joined Bikalpadhara, Bangladesh.
Later, he once again changed party loyalty and joined Ferdous Ahmed Quarishi's Progressive Democratic Party.
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