Prospective candidates of the ruling Awami League (AL) and other political parties are making hectic efforts to get nomination from their parties for the Member of Parliament (MP) race in the next general election from Sunamganj-3 constituency.
Although the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) still maintains it will not contest polls under the Sheikh Hasina government, party leaders are preparing for the next general election secretly and silently, according to locals and party insiders.
This constituency is known as AL’s stronghold.
The nomination seekers are campaigning and lobbying for party tickets in the Sunamganj-3 constituency ahead of the next general elections.
MA Mannan of the ruling AL has been representing the party in the National Parliament since 2008.
The constituency encompasses Shantiganj and Jagannathpurupazilas
The constituency was created in 1984 from a Sylhet constituency when the former Sylhet District was split into four districts: Sunamganj, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, and Habiganj.
The ruling party has won the seat seven times. Jatiya Party and BNP won it two times each.
Most of the people in the constituency are farmers and expatriates.
The incumbent MP and Planning Minister MA Mannan and AzizusSamad Don, the son of former Foreign Minister late AbdusSamad Azad, are the frontrunners for the AL nomination.
Apart from them, former student leader Syed Sajidur Rahman, an expatriate based in the UK also wants to seek party nomination to contest the next general election.
In the Awami League, supporters of Mannan and Don have become divided over nomination.
Mannan has built up his reputation as an honest politician. Locals say the MP has worked very hard to develop the area.
Talking to reporters, Mannan said numerous development projects have been implemented.
He says he is confident about victory if the party gives him the nomination.
“The government had taken different pragmatic steps for improving the living condition of the people in haor areas. I’m confident I will again get a party ticket to contest the next poll,” he told reporters.
He added the present government ensured providing all services, including digital ones, to the doorsteps of the common people in the haor region.
As part of the digitization process of the government, he said, the people were now getting all information using internet services from their homes in the constituency.
“The government took up massive development works to turn the country into a developed one. We have a policy that there would be no neglected area in the country,” the Planning Minister said.
The government has constructed new schools, hospitals, madrashas, auditoriums, roads and bridges across the Sunamganj-3 constituency.
Considering their wellbeing, the minister said the government is now planning to construct a flyover from Sunamganj district to Netrokona district for developing the road communication network of the haor areas at the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“The local culture of the haor areas enriched the Bangalee culture which has brought laurels for the country,” he added.
Don, on the other hand, has been campaigning focusing on his late father’s balanced development targets.
He says he is seeking nomination to finish his father’s unfinished work.
On the other hand, UK branch BNP General Secretary M Kaisar Ahmed, who is a very close associate of party acting Chairman Tarique Rahman will seek party nomination to contest the next general election if BNP joins the poll.
He (Kaisar Ahmed) is very active in London taking part in mass procession and demonstration there demanding the resignation of the AL government and national elections under a non-partisan caretaker government.
Besides, lieutenant colonel (Rtd) Ali Ahmad, local leader Malek Khan and South Sunamganj Upazila BNP unit president and former upazila chairman Faruk Ahmed are seeking nomination from the party if BNP joins the poll.
Besides, Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam’s central leader Shahinoor Pasha Chowdhury will seek party nomination to contest the next general election.
However, the local leaders of Jatiya Party have not launched poll campaigns yet.
They are waiting for the high command’s instruction, according to local leaders and workers.
Although Jamaat-e-Islami was disqualified from contesting elections, its high command asked the local leaders and workers to work together in order to strengthen the party’s organisational activities in the constituency, according to locals.
If the party is allowed to join polls, it will field candidates to contest the next general elections.