Awami League President and incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will start formal campaign of her party for the 12th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) today (Wednesday) through visits to the shrines of saints Shahjalal and Shah Paran in Sylhet.
Meanwhile, the ruling party on Tuesday announced a 11-day schedule of the PM, who is supposed to join at least nine grand rallies in eight districts under five divisions from December 20 to December 30.
According to the party and PMO sources, PM Hasina will reach in Sylhet in the morning and offer prayers at Hazrat Shahjalal’s shrine followed by prayers at Hazrat Shah Paran’s sshrine.
In the afternoon, she is scheduled to attend a public rally at the Government Alia Madrasha ground as the launching of campaign of the ruling party for the January 7 JS polls.
Awami League Presidium Member Jahangir Kabir Nanak and other central leaders visited the rally venue on Tuesday noon. Sylhet City Corporation Mayor Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury and leaders of the district and metropolitan Awami League were also present. To make the rally successful, a divisional representative meeting was held at a convention hall in Sylhet city in the presence of about a dozen central leaders including Presidium Member Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif on December 13. Awami League leaders of four districts of Sylhet division were present at the meeting.
At the meeting, all the Awami League candidates of 19 constituencies in the division contesting with the party’s election symbol, boat, were instructed to bring at least 10,000 people each in the rally.
Meanwhile, the leaders and activists of Awami League have become enthusiastic centering the arrival of the prime minister in Sylhet. Meetings and campaign rallies are going on at different parts of the city.
Regarding PM Hasina's visit and public rally in Sylhet, Metropolitan Awami League Joint General Secretary Azadur Rahman Azad said Sheikh Hasina starts election campaign from the holy land Sylhet every time. This time is no exception.
“The news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to Sylhet has created enthusiasm not only among the party leaders and activists but also among common people. We are hopeful that the election fever will intensify across the country after seeing the public rally in Sylhet,” he said.
Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury, president of Sylhet district Awami League, said all preparations have been taken to hold a large public rally marking the PM’s arrival in Sylhet and leaders and activists from every district and upazila of the division will join the rally.
“Realizing that BNP-Jamaat made a mistake by not taking the election train, they are now conspiring to reduce voter turnout on January 7. They are trying to create fear among the people by arson attacks,” he added.
Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) Mayor Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury said the people of Sylhet are ready to welcome Sheikh Hasina. “We are ready to follow the directives of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina.”
The 12th parliamentary election will be held on January 7, 2024 as Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal announced the polls schedule on November 15.
A total of 11,96,91,633 voters throughout the country are eligible to cast their votes. The last parliamentary election was held on December 30, 2018.
Meanwhile, the AL officials said, after the Sylhet visit, PM Sheikh Hasina will visit Panchagarh and Lalmonirhat district under Rangpur division on Thursday. She will also virtually join three other rallies at Natore, Pabna and Chattogram the same day.
Sheikh Hasina will join another rally at Barishal sadar on December 29, and two other separate rallies at Gopalganj-3 constituency and Madaripur-3 constituency on December 30.
