AL, BNP under pressure from allies, rebels

Both the ruling Awami League and the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party are still under pressure from the parties in the respective alliance on seat sharing in the December 30 general election. 
Nomination aspirants of the two major political parties also continued mounting pressure on their party leadership for nominations as the deadline for the withdrawal of the candidature would expire today.
BNP and AL’s ally Jatiya Party leaders activists staged protests in Dhaka and some other places to press for their demands for nominations. 
The Jatiya Party postponed its scheduled announcement of candidatures on Saturday 
Jatiya Party activists brought out a procession in front of party chairman HM Ershad’s Banani office in Dhaka demanding Ershad’s nomination from the AL-led ‘grand alliance’ for Dhaka 17 constituency.
They protested against nomination of Dhallywood actor Akbar Hossain Farooque as AL candidate for the same constituency where Ershad was also a candidate. 
AL general secretary Obaidul Quader on Friday announced that the party would share 60 seats with allies, including 42 seats with the Jatiya Party. But the AL also nominated party candidates in 12 constituencies allocated for the allies, including Ershad, a JP leader said.
The protesters demanded withdrawal of Farooque’s candidature and also in other constituencies where AL nominated candidates along with JP aspirants. 
Many Jatiya Party candidates, including 12 sitting lawmakers, continued mounting pressure on party secretary general Moshiur Rahman Ranga for ensuring their candidatures from the alliance. 
JP-led Shammilita Jatiya Jote leaders also went to the JP chairman’s office on Saturday for the last-minute bargaining. 
Several JP leaders said that Moshiur called on prime minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban on Saturday for the last-minute negotiation. Moshiur, however, denied that he held such meeting.
He admitted that he negotiated with AL general secretary Obaidul Quader for sharing at least 54 seats with the Jatiya Party.
Some JP leaders were also in touch with BNP leadership to get nomination from the opposition alliance, party sources said.
Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, which got three seats from the Awami League against its demand for 25, called a press conference at the party president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury’s Baridhara house on Saturday, but cancelled the programme.
‘We will settle the issue through discussion,’ said the Bikalpa Dhara presidium member Golam Sarwar Milon.
Frustrated Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal president Sharif Nurul Ambia said that they were surprised getting only one seat against the demand for at least three. ‘We are trying to negotiate with the PM,’ Ambia said. 
Obaidul Quader, however, rejected the possibility of further negotiations with the allies. ‘They can nominate more candidates using their own party symbols,’ he said.
Over 50 AL leaders submitted nomination papers in the constituencies which the Awami League shared with its allies. 
Hasina on Thursday requested the AL rebel candidates to withdraw candidature and requested them to work for ‘grand alliance’ candidates. 
Aggrieved supporters of former state minister for education Ehsanul Haque Milon locked the main gate of BNP central office at Naya Paltan in Dhaka on Saturday for about one hour and a half and chanted slogans demanding his nomination for Chandpur 1.
Milon, who is facing more than two dozens of cases, was arrested on November 23 and sent to jail by a Chandpur court.
BNP announced its executive committee member Mosharraf Hossain for Chandpur 1 (Kachua).
Witnesses said that the local leaders of BNP, Juba Dal and Chhatra Dal began protests at about 12:45pm.
They held banners and festoons supporting Ehsanul and chanted slogans for his nomination.
‘BNP should recognise his contribution and sufferings for the party and nominate him for Chandpur 1,’ said Kachaua upazial BNP secretary Khairul Islam.
The protesting leaders and activists said Mosharraf was a expatriate in Malaysia and he had no connection with the local activists.
The protesters locked the BNP office at one point of the protests.
They, however, unlocked the gate at about 2:15pm, issuing a 12-hour ultimatum to top BNP leaders for Ehsanul’s nomination.
Chandpur district Juba Dal assistant organising secretary Alauddin Ahmed said that they talked to BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi who assured them of conveying the demand to the party top leaders.
When asked, BNP assistant office secretary Munir Ahmed said the aggrieved supporters of Ehsanul staged protests in front of the party office.
Several hundred supporters of BNP leaders, who were deprived of the party nomination, staged wild demonstrations in front of party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office on Saturday.
Supporters of Ehsanul also staged demonstrations in front of the Gulshan office on Friday and Saturday.
Supporters of late BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain’s son Khandaker Abdul Hamid Dablu started protests at Gulshan Saturday afternoon.
At one stage, the protesters attempted to break 
open the gate of Khaleda’s office and threw brick chips and empty water bottles inside the office at about 5:30 pm.
Khandaker Abdul Hamid Dablu, also BNP national executive committee member, filed nominations for Manikganj 1 but did not get party nomination.
His supporters alleged that one SA Kabir Jinnah, a relative of Bashundhara group owner, bought the nomination for Manikganj 1 for Tk 10 crore.
Supporters of another deprived candidate Selimuzzaman Selim, who filed nomination for Gopalganj 1, went on wild protests in front of the BNP chief’s office and tried to break open the gate Saturday evening.
Supporters of Sheikh Abdullah, a BNP nomination seeker for Munshiganj 1, staged protests at Nimtala on Dhaka-Mawa Highway as the party fielded its vice-chairman Shah Moazzem Hossain for the seat.
Supporters of Suhrabuddin, elected lawmaker twice for Kushtia 3, staged protests in front of Khaleda’s office demanding his nomination. 
BNP leaders could not satisfy parties in its two alliances except for the Jamaat-e Islami.
Jamaat leaders were happy getting 25 seats. But others were not satisfied with the seat sharing.
‘We demanded 15 seats but got only 7,’ said Gono Forum training affairs secretary Rafiqul Islam Pathik. ‘We will continue negotiations till tomorrow [Sunday].’ 
Leaders of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal faction, the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Janta League, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Jamyite Olamaye Islami, the Khelafat Majlish and others expressed dissatisfaction and demanded further negotiations.
BNP on Friday declared names of party candidates for 206 seats keeping room for last-minute negotiations open till today 
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said they would finalise candidates for the rest of the seats in consultation with the Jatiya Oikya Front leaders.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net