Former governor Farashuddin buys AL nomination form for polls

Former Bangladesh Bank Governor Mohammed Farashuddin has bought a nomination form seeking to contest the upcoming parliamentary election on the Awami League ticket.

Dr Farashuddin, the seventh governor of the central bank, bought the form on Sunday for his constituency, Habiganj-4, from the Awami League divisional offices in Sylhet, said Rezaul Hafiz Reshin, former vice president of Bangladesh Chhatra League.

“I hope I will get the party nomination and win. I want to contribute to the ongoing development of Bangladesh that has been achieved by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over the past 10 years,” Farashuddin told bdnews24.com on Saturday. 

Currently, Awami League leader Mahbub Ali is the MP of Habiganj-4 constituency. Prior to that, Enamul Haque Mustafa Shaheed was the MP from the same seat.

Speculation is rife that Farashuddin will helm the finance ministry as Finance Minister AMA Muhith has publically expressed his desire to retire from politics, raising doubts over his candidacy in the coming election.

Farashuddin was born in Madhabpur in Habiganj in 1942. He began teaching after obtaining his master’s in economics from Dhaka University in 1964. He completed his PhD at Boston University in the US in 1979.

He was also a member of Bangladesh’s first Planning Commission. The founding vice-chancellor of East West University, Farashuddin served as the personal secretary to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from 1973 to 1975.