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Published : 05 Dec 2025, 12:55 AM
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has reaffirmed its trust in Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury in Raozan as it announced candidates for four more parliamentary constituencies in Chattogram ahead of the national election.
Gias Quader is the younger brother of former BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, who was executed for crimes against humanity committed in 1971. He currently serves as a vice-chairman of the BNP.
On Thursday, the party announced its candidates for 36 more seats nationwide, bringing the total number of declared nominees to 272. Of these, 14 are from Chattogram.
The BNP has kept two key constituencies -- Chattogram-11 (Port–Patenga) and Chattogram-14 (Chandanaish–partial Satkania) -- vacant for now.
On Nov 3, the BNP released an initial list of candidates for 237 seats. One nomination was later withdrawn following protests. At that stage, candidates were announced for 10 of Chattogram’s 16 parliamentary seats.
Apart from Raozan under Chattogram-6, the BNP has also fielded candidates in Chattogram-3 (Sandwip), Chattogram-9 and Chattogram-15.
Raozan has long witnessed political dominance by members of a single family under both the BNP and the Awami League. Gias Quader was elected from this seat in 1996, contesting against his cousin Fazle Karim Chowdhury, who ran on an Awami League ticket. From 2001 to 2024, Karim served as the MP and is currently in jail.
In 2018, the BNP candidate was Jasim Uddin Sikder, who again sought nomination this time, along with senior leader Golam Akbar Khondakar. However, the party ultimately chose Gias Quader.
Following the fall of the Awami League government, clashes erupted multiple times over the past 15 months between supporters of both leaders, leading to the temporary suspension of Gias Quader’s party post.
For the strategically vital Chattogram-9 seat -- comprising Baklia and Kotwali areas -- the BNP has nominated Abu Sufian. He previously ran and lost in Chattogram-8 in 2018. That election was the first in the constituency to use EVMs.
At the time, Chattogram city unit president Shahadat Hossain contested while in jail and was defeated; he is now the mayor of Chattogram City Corporation.
In Chattogram-15, covering Lohagara Upazila and six unions of Satkania, BNP has nominated Nazmul Mostafa Amin, a first-time parliamentary contender. He is a former convenor of Lohagara Upazila BNP and former publicity secretary of the party’s South District unit.
In the island constituency of Sandwip, the BNP has backed former MP Mostafa Kamal Pasha, who was elected from the seat in both 1996 and 2001 after rising through local government ranks.
