CONTESTING BOGURA BY-POLLS Manna declines Tarique’s proposal to join BNP

A BNP leader seeking a reserved female seat in the parliament on Monday submitted nomination paper while the party is likely to contest the by-polls in Bogura-6 constituency that fell vacant as the MP-elect BNP secretary-general Fakhrul Islam Alamgir did not take oath.
Rumeen Farhana, assistant international affairs secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, submitted her nomination paper to returning officer Abul Kashem at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital on the last day for filing of nominations for the reserved seats for women in the 11th Jatiya Sangsad.
According to the electoral law, main opposition BNP is eligible for only one of the 50 reserved seats for women as the party’s six candidates were elected in the December 30, 2018 general elections.
Meanwhile, about a proposal from the party’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman to Jatiya Oikya Front partner Nagarik Oikya’s convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna to participate in the by-polls as a BNP candidate by joining the party, BNP vice-chairman Selima Rahman said she had no idea about the matter.
Manna told New Age that BNP secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir conveyed Tarique’s proposal to him and he refused it.
He said he replied to Fakhrul that he would not join the BNP and would not take part in the by-polls without discussing the matter with the JOF forum.
The issue of joining the by-polls was not discussed in the forum of JOF yet, Manna added.
Selima told New Age that her party decided to join the by-elections while the party policymakers were yet to select any candidate for the race.
She said that the matter of selecting a candidate was not discussed in the party forum.
Asked about Tarique’s proposal to Manna, BNP senior joint secretary-general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told New Age that it might be a personal-level conversation.
He said that the matter was not discussed in any party forum as per his knowledge till Monday evening. 
Besides, the ruling Awami League on Sunday picked its Bogura district unit joint general secretary T Zaman Niketa as its candidate for Bogura-6 by-poll.
The Election Commission on May 7announced the schedule for Bogura-6 by-elections fixing the voting date on June 24.
According to the schedule, the last date for filing of the nominations is May 23, while the nomination papers will be scrutinised by the returning officer on May 27.
Five of the six BNP leaders elected in the December 30 general election have joined the parliament. 
In the 11th JS polls, ruling Awami League bagged 258 seats, its grand-alliance partner Jatiya Party 22 seats, BNP-led Jatiya Oikya Front 8 seats, other parties 9 seats while independent candidates secured 3 seats.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net