Which 14-Party Alliance leaders will get Awami League’s backing in the election?

The ruling party-led coalition will sit on Monday to finalise the nomination of its leaders in the Jan 7 vote

It was almost unthinkable that the Awami League will not leave the Dhaka-8 constituency to Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon, after the key partner in the 14-Party Alliance received the ruling party’s support in this seat in the past three polls.

In Menon's place, Bahauddin Nasim, an organising secretary of the Awami League, has won the party’s nomination for this seat in the 12th parliamentary polls.

Menon then submitted nomination papers for Barishal-2 and Barishal-3.

The Awami League has fielded its candidates in these seats as well, but central leaders hinted at leaving one of these to Menon.

Menon won from Barishal-2 in 1979 and 1991 as a Workers Party candidate. However, he could not contest in the 1996 election. Golam Faruque Ovi of the Jatiya Party won there in 1996 and the BNP’s Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal in 2001.

The Awami League claimed the seat in 2008, 2014 and 2018.

BNP's Mosharraf Hossain Mongu won the Barisal-3 constituency in three elections since 1991.

The Awami League's nominee for the seat this time is Talukder Md Yunus, general secretary of the party’s district unit. Yunus was elected MP from this seat in 2014. Shah Alam Talukder was nominated there and became an MP in the last election.

Workers Party General Secretary Tipu Sultan was the 14-Party candidate for Barishal-3 in the last general election, but lost to the Jatiya Party candidate Golam Kibria Tipu. Kibria also won the seat in 2008 before Tipu Sultan’s victory in 2014.

Babuganj Upazila Awami League President Sardar Khaled Hossain has won the party’s ticket to contest for the Barishal-3 seat this time.

“You’ll know after the 14-Party meeting tomorrow (Monday),” said Kazi Zafarullah, a presidium member of the Awami League and co-chairman of the party’s election management committee.

Amir Hossain Amu, coordinator of the alliance, told http://bdnews24.com that Awami League President Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will chair the meeting at the Ganabhaban on Monday evening. “Everything will be discussed there.”

"I have won the Dhaka-8 seat three times. Since Bahauddin Nasim has been nominated for the seat now, I have taken nomination forms for two constituencies in Barishal. It will be decided after the alliance coordination meeting,” said Menon

Among the three members of the Workers Party in the current parliament, Fazle Hossain Badsha of Rajshahi-2 constituency has faced strong opposition from the Awami League this time.

He won three elections with the support of the Awami League. If the ruling party is not on its side, there is doubt whether it is possible for him to win or not.

This time the local Awami League leadership demands their own candidate. Mohammad Ali Kamal, president of Rajshahi Metropolitan Awami League, won the party’s ticket.

Shafiqur Rahman Badsha, a vice-president of the unit, also filed nomination papers as an independent candidate, but his nomination was canceled in the selection process.

Fazle Hossain Badsha told http://bdnews24.com, "We want to hold elections together and I’ve talked to the Awami League about this. I hope and believe that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will give me the boat symbol this time like the last three times."

AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, member of the Awami League's presidium and mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation, said: "Fazle Hossain Badshah was elected three times with the boat symbol. He may want it this time too. Personally, I think this is a very important seat in Rajshahi Division. It is better to have Awami League's own candidate in this seat.”

In the last election, Thakurgaon-3 seat was given to Workers Party district president Yasin Ali. However, Awami League leader Imdadul Haque was not impressed and chose to run as an independent.

Eventually, the BNP's Zahidur Rahman won as the votes of the Awami League-led coalition were divided among Yasin and Imdadul.

This time Imdadul has been picked as an Awami League candidate as local leaders refused to make way for Yasin again.

Kalaroa Upazila Awami League President Firoz Ahmed is the party’s candidate for Satkhira-1 another seat held by a Workers Party MP – Mustafa Lutfullah.

JASOD

Hasanul Haq Inu, president of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, is almost certain to win the Awami League’s support for Kushtia-2 seat again as the ruling party has not declared any candidate there.

Several central leaders of the Awami League also told http://bdnews24.com that this seat has been kept vacant for Inu.

JaSoD General Secretary Shirin Akhtar’s nomination as a 14-Party Alliance candidate for Feni-1 constituency, from where she was elected twice, is still ending.

The Awami League has nominated Alauddin Ahmed Chowdhury Nasim, who was Hasina’s protocol officer from 1996 to 2001, for the seat after his failed bids in the past two polls.

Shirin declined to comment on the matter, pointing out that the final decisions will be taken on Monday.

Inu hopes the Awami League will leave more seats for JaSoD than before.

“We hope that our number of seats will not decrease, but increase.”