AL, BNP allies dissatisfied with delay in seat sharing

Parties in the alliances led by the ruling Awami League and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party are ‘dissatisfied’ with delay in sharing of seats ahead of the 11th parliamentary polls likely to be held in December. 
Leaders of the parties expressed grievances for not ensuring allocation of parliamentary seats for them demanding that the issue should be settled as early as possible. 
They said that leading parties Awami League and BNP of the alliances should take immediate initiative to this end.
AL’s ally Workers Party of Bangladesh president Rashed Khan Menon, also the social welfare minister, said that sharing of seats among the parties should have been settled earlier but the Awami League so far took no initiative.
‘As the leader of the alliance Awami League president Sheikh Hasina, also the prime minister, should take immediate steps to resolve the issue as we will take part in the next general elections jointly,’ Menon said.
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal faction president Hasanul Haq Inu, also the information minister, expressed his ‘dissatisfaction’ with the delay in seat sharing and said that it should be settled as early as possible.
It would also be helpful for the alliance to make mass contacts to win the election, he said.
It would take some time to settle the issue talking with the leaders of the parties of the alliance, Inu added.
Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal president Sharif Nurul Ambia said that August was the high time for settling the seat sharing issue.
He demanded that the issue should be resolved immediately as the next general election was scheduled for December.
Bangladesh Jatiya Party secretary general Sheikh Shahidul Islam said that next general election would be participatory and also a crucial and the AL-led alliance should nominate candidates having most winning possibility in every constituency, he said.
As a major political party the Awami League should
show generosity to its allies in case of selecting candidates, Shahidul said.
BNP’s ally Bangladesh Kalyan Party chairman Syed Muhammad Ibrahim said that in plane eye the election seemed to be imminent, so political discussion relating to elections should be held without ‘much delay’. 
Ibrahim, also retired major general, said that all political parties particularly the registered political parties had a ‘stake’ in the next parliamentary polls.
If the BNP-led alliance decides to participate in the elections under satisfactory conditions, it is an ‘urgent necessity’ to talk on seat sharing, he said, adding that the discussion and decision must be confidential until the formal announcement.
Ibrahim said that if the alliance decided not to go for the polls, the discussion would remain ‘buried’. ‘We hope our seniors will take courageous step,’ he said. 
BNP ally Bangladesh Muslim League president Kamruzzaman Khan said that the issue of seat sharing should be discussed immediately if the alliance decided to participate in the polls.
Pending the decision on whether BNP and the alliance would contest or boycott the elections, seat sharing should be settled soon, alliance leaders said.
They said that it would be difficult to settle the issue if the alliance at the eleventh hour decided to take part in the elections.
Khelafat Majlish secretary general Ahmed Abdul Kader said that parties in the alliance wanted immediate discussion over seat sharing.
It is difficult to work in field without any goal, he said.
Bangladesh National Awami Party secretary general Golam Mostafa Bhuiyan said that BNP was now not ‘interested’ to discuss the issue.
He said that his party thought that BNP should immediately discuss the issue either it participate in or not in the next parliamentary polls. 
BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan, also the alliance coordinator, said that they were busy with movement for the release of their jailed chairperson Khaleda Zia. 
The issue of seat sharing is important for the parties particularly those who are registered with the Election Commission for protecting their registration.
BNP and its allies boycotted the 10th parliamentary election on January 5, 2014, boycotted by all opposition parties.
According to the Representation of the People Order, the registration of a political party may be cancelled if the party does not participate in the parliamentary elections for two consecutive terms.
Nine of the parties of the alliance, including Kalyan Party, Khelafat Majlish, Bangladesh National Awami Party, Bangladesh Muslim League and JAGPA, are registered with the commission.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net