AL, BNP struggle with seat sharing

Both the ruling Awami league and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party continued struggling to decide seat sharing with their allies for the 11th parliamentary elections as the two archrivals were under pressure from aspiring party candidates and allies.
The allies of both AL and BNP continued bargaining for nominations in about 50 per cent seats in the national election rescheduled for December 30.
The election schedule requires the parties and individual candidates to submit nomination forms by November 28.
AL and BNP leaders said although they were busy scrutinising party nomination-seekers, negotiations with allies on seat sharing continued. 
AL leaders told New Age on Sunday that the party would primarily select their candidates for the 300 territorial parliamentary constituencies scrutinising 4,023 nomination-seekers in next two days and then would decide seat sharing with allies, but negotiations were going on.
Refereeing to prime minister and AL president Sheikh Hasina, party general secretary Obaidul Quader hinted the party might offer nomination for 65-70 seats to the allies. 
‘If there are more candidates who might win the polls, the number might be raised through discussions,’ Obaidul Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said at a briefing at the ministry on Sunday.
AL ally the Jatiya Party faction led by HM Ershad demanded 65 seats while other major AL allies, including the Jatiya Samjtantrik Dal faction led by Hasanul Haq Inu and the Workers Party of Bangladesh, demanded 70 seats, said leaders of the parties.
Two ministers from the Jatiya Party faction said that the party demanded 65 seats. 
Its secretary general Ruhul Amin Howlader officially said, ‘No number has not been finalised but we are negotiating with Awami League leaders. We hope it will be solved in two days.’ 
He said that the Jatiya Party faction at the same time had preparation to run candidates in all the 300 seats. 
‘We gave a list of 30 candidates to the Awami League,’ said JSD faction general secretary Shirin Akhtar.
The parties in the AL-led alliance are demanding that the issue should be resolved soon. ‘We are completely in the dark and want it to be solved by November 21,’ said Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon, adding that the party demanded 15 seats.
BNP continued struggling to share seats with its allies in the Jatiya Oikya Front and the BNP-led alliance.
BNP sold 4,580 nomination forms for the 300 constituencies. Its long-time ally the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami placed in the BNP-led alliance a list of 60 aspiring candidates, a shura (executive committee) member said. 
‘We have 199 elected upiazila chairmen and vice-chairpersons in different districts across the country and would expect that the potential candidates who have strong supports in the electoral areas would be considered by the BNP decision makers instead of nominating candidates based on their face value and wealth in the greater interest of beating the ruling Awami League,’ the Jamaat leader said.
Other parties in the BNP-led alliance were demanding nominations for about 40 seats, alliance leaders said. 
The Nagorik Oikyo on Saturday officially submitted a list of 35 aspiring candidates to Jatiya Oikya Front leaders. 
Gono Forum executive president Subrata Chowdhury said that they would place the list of their aspiring candidates today. 
JSD faction general secretary Abdul Malek Ratan said that they demanded nominations for 20 seats and would expect confirmation for 15.
A Krishak Sramik Janata League leader said that they were seeking nominations for 25 seats and expected at least 8. 
Nazrul Islam Khan said that there would not be any problem as all parties in both the alliances were ready to sacrifice in the greater interest of the nation.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net