Agitation continues at JP office

Many Jatiya Party leaders and their supporters staged protests at party chairman HM M Ershad’s Banani office on Thursday as the leaders were not given nomination from the ruling Awami League-led ‘grand alliance’ for the December 30 parliamentary elections.
Addressing a gathering of the protesters, presidium member Shafiqul Islam Sentu, also Dhaka North City Corporation councillor, threatened to resign from the party as he did not get ‘grand alliance’ nomination.
‘I am the only presidium member of the Jatiya Party who did not get nomination from Mahajot [grand alliance],’ he told New Age.
‘My name was on the final list sent by the party to Mahajot,’ he said.
The Jatiya Party got 47 of the 300 seats from the alliance but continued bargaining with the leading party Awami League for more seats. The party fielded candidates in 210 constituencies, party leaders said.
The bargaining would continue until the withdrawal of the nomination papers on December 9, said two Jatiya Party presidium members.
Shafiqul was one of those who submitted nomination papers with nomination certificates from the Jatiya Party failing to get clearance from the Awami League. 
He submitted nomination papers for Dhaka 13 for which Sadeq Khan got AL nomination.
‘I have taken the nomination certificate giving undertaking that I would withdraw candidature if the Jatiya Party orders, but now I feel that it is a humiliation for me,’ he said.
Like Shafiqul, some other Jatiya Party leaders also staged protests in several districts on Wednesday and Thursday, party leaders said.
The protests began on Monday when party secretary general ABM Ruhul Hawlader was scheduled to announce names of the 47 candidates nominated by the alliance.
Many leaders in presence of Ruhul and other senior leaders at the party chairman’s office on Monday alleged that they were deprived of alliance nominations for which party senior leaders had taken bribes from them.
In the face of protests, Ruhul Amin on Monday announced that the party would nominate 200 candidates, including the 47 nominated by the alliance.
On Wednesday, he gave nomination certificates to 220 candidates on condition that they would withdraw candidatures when the party would order.
Ruhul Amin’s phone number was found switched off on Thursday.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net