No Awami Leage or BNP candidates vying for Dhaka-6 seat

The Dhaka-6 parliamentary race does not feature any candidates from the Awami League or the BNP, an unusual situation for a constituency in the capital.

A BNP ally candidate is contesting the seat using the party’s ‘paddy sheaf’ symbol while the Awami League is campaigning for a Jatiya Party candidate.

The Dhaka-6 constituency covers Sutrapur, Wari, Gendaria and parts of Kotowali and Bangshal.

The BNP left the seat to Subrata Chowdhury, executive president of BNP’s ally Gono Forum, who is now contesting the election using the paddy sheaf symbol.

The ruling Awami League party, on the other hand left the seat to Grand Alliance ally Jatiya Party’s Presidium Member Kazi Feroz Rashid, who will compete under his party’s plough symbol.

The Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was once the parliamentarian from the seat in Old Dhaka. Sheikh Hasina attempted to follow in his footsteps and contest the seat in 1991 but unexpectedly lost it to the BNP’s Sadek Hossain Khoka.

ফাইল ছবি

Khoka had a firm grip on the seat for a long time, fending off Awami League challengers 1996 and 2001. Khoka later became the city mayor. 

Khoka’s reign over the constituency ended in 2008 with the victory of ‘boat’ candidate Mizanur Rahman Khan Dipu. However, Khoka may have been foiled by Bikalpadhara President AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury, who may have taken some of his share of the vote.

After the demise of Dipu, the Awami League left the seat and Kazi Firoz Rashid was elected to the seat from the Jatiya Party during the 2014 election boycotted by the BNP.

Firoz had been an Awami League member before he joined the Jatiya Party. He was twice elected the vice president of Jagannath College Student Council from the Chhatra League.

Subrata Chowdhury, the new paddy sheaf candidate on the other hand, has no previous association with the BNP, but the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist-Christian Unity Council leader has chosen to run under the paddy sheaf in this election.

Expatriate Ishrak Hossain, the son of Sadek Hossain Khoka was interested in contesting the election and was backed by Khoka’s supporters but had to ‘sacrifice’ his candidacy for the sake of the opposition alliance. 

Subrata is the lone BNP alliance candidate for the Dhaka-6 seat as Ishrak withdrew his nomination according to his ‘father’s wishes’. Subrata wanted to contest from Chandnaish in Chattogram but had to leave the seat to Oli Ahmed from their alliance.

Apart from Firoz Rashid and Subrata Chowdhury, there are six other candidates vying for the seat Dhaka-6, which houses at least 260,000 voters. But it is evident that the main competition will be between the paddy sheaf and plough.

Bobby Hajjaj, son of businessman Musa Bin Shamser is contesting from the seat with the lantern symbol of the Muslim League as his political party National Democratic Movement is not registered.

The other contestants are—Abu Taher Hossain from the Communist Party of Bangladesh, Syed Nazmul Huda from Jatiya Party-JP, Haji Md Monowar Khan from Islami Andolon, Ahmed Ali Sheikh from Gono Front and Md Akhter Hossain from National Peoples Party.

WHAT DO VOTERS FEEL?

“This constituency has always belonged to BNP. Khoka had been elected several times from this seat. Everybody around here supports the BNP,” Md Ratan Miah, a trader selling spare vehicle parts in Dholaikhal, told bdnews24.com.

“Thousands of people will take to the streets if some leaders give the call. But for some reason they are totally silent!”

The bdnews24.com reporter saw posters and other election campaigns for Firoz Rashid but found no poster for the paddy sheaf candidate when visited he the constituency on Sunday.

The reporter asked Ratan Miah if anyone is blocking the paddy sheaf campaign.

“I haven’t seen anyone causing any hindrance but cannot find any paddy sheaf posters. There are many posters for other candidates,” he replied.

Ratan wants to have a peaceful election. “There’s nothing achieved by winning the election with muscle power,” he said.

He has seen small processions for the plough and sometimes heard chants for the boat, but he never saw any paddy sheaf -posters in Gendaria, said Iqbal Hossain, a rickshaw puller from the neighbourhood.

Awami League leaders and activists, along with thana and ward leaders, are running the campaign for Firoz Rashid, but no BNP leaders or activists were seen to campaign for Subrata, said the locals.

“Everyone should join the campaign and if prevented, they can speak to the media or complain to the Election Commission,” Abdul Halim, a part-time teacher in a local school told bdnews24.com.

FIROZ HOPEFUL, SUBRATA COMPLAINS

Jatiya Party leader Firoz Rashid, accompanied by the Awami League leaders and activists was allocated the plough symbol on Dec 10.

He has continued to campaign every day since he launched his race on Dec 12 from Jagannath University.

“The people have a positive response due to the present government’s development works. The boat and plough are inseparable here. The plough will win, Allah willing,” Feroz told bdnews24.com.

Subrata Chowdhury on the other hand, complained of attacks by the police and Chhatra League after he opened his campaign three days after the symbol allocation.

Police blocked him when he visited Gendaria on Friday and the next day the Chhatra League attacked his activists in Hatkhola, he complained.

“They are not allowing me to put up posters and attacking us when we campaign. Also, they are arresting my campaign aides. This is no proper environment for election.”

He stayed in his office until Sunday afternoon instead of campaigning, he said.

“None of our leaders and activists has prevented anyone from campaigning. He’s a friend of mine. Why would my supporters prevent him?” said Firoz on the context of Subrata’s complaint.

Subrata says he has complained to the Election Commission, the returning officer, and to the police station but received no response.

KM Ali Azam, returning officer for 15 seats in Dhaka Metropolitan failed to recall any complaint from the paddy sheaf candidate in the Dhaka-6 seat.

“But we have received around four complaints on the issue. We have instructed the concerned assistant returning officers to investigate those complaints and if proved, take the necessary legal action.”