With hardly six months to go for the general elections, poll fever is gradually gripping the people with even tea stalls, dinner tables and drawing room-talk zeroing in on which political party will form the country’s next government.
Therefore, like other constituencies in the country, the race for nomination has also garnered significant hype in Bogura constituency-5 as the aspirants believe the next polls will be held on time.
Leaders of Awami League (AL), Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and other political parties have started preparing the ground for the upcoming parliamentary elections as the next elections will be very competitive.
Only those who can prove their worth for this competitive election will be nominated.
Bogura-5 is a constituency represented in the JatiyaSangsad since 2008 by Habibur Rahman Habib of ruling AL.
The constituency encompasses Dhunat and Sherpurupazilas.
The constituency was created for the first general elections in newly independent Bangladesh, held in 1973. Ahead of the 2008 general election, the Election Commission redrew the constituency boundaries to reflect population changes revealed by the 2001 Bangladesh census.
The 2008 redistricting altered the boundaries of the constituency.
Ahead of the 2014 general election, the Election Commission expanded the boundaries of the constituency.
AL candidate Mostafizur Rahman Patal at first became the lawmaker from the Bogura constituency-5 in the newly independent Bangladesh in 1973. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate Md. SirajulHuqTalukder won the seat as lawmaker in 1979, AL candidate Ferdous Zaman Mukul in 1986, independent candidate Md.
Shahjahan Ali Talukder in 1988, BNP candidate Golam Mohammad Siraj in 1991 and AL candidate Habibur Rahman Habib in 2008, 2014 and 2018.
In Bogura-5 (Dhunat-Sherpur) constituency, there are a total of 4, 75,547 voters.
According to party insider, incumbent AL lawmaker Habibur Rahman Habib, Mujibur Rahman Majnu, President of Bogura district unit of AL and incumbent SherpurUpazila Chairman, Professor TIM Nurunnabi Tariq, President of DhunatUpazila unit of AL, ZannatulFerdousRupa, General Secretary of Bangladesh Women Lawyers Council and Professor Shams UlAlam Joy, member of Bogura district unit of AL, will seek party nomination to contest the 12th national polls that will be held by January 29, 2024.
Incumbent AL lawmaker Habibur Rahman Habib told local journalists that the Bogura constituency-5 has become beautiful and enlightened at present amid massive infrastructural developments fully supported by the present government in 14 years and six months.
“Radical changes right from pre-primary to higher education are being implemented here. Besides, we have constructed small bridges, roads and hospitals. So, I think the AL high command will evaluate my works and nominate me again to contest the next general election. And I hope I will get a party ticket Insha Allah,” he said.
Talking to reporters Mujibur Rahman Majnu termed Dhunat- Sherpur the stronghold of the ruling AL.
“Insha Allah the ‘boat’ (AL's election symbol) will be victorious and the development spree of the country will keep on. Like other parts of the country, our constituency witnessed a development campaign over the past 14 years and six months as the people gave mandate to Awami League. We are urging people to give their verdict so the party could retain the responsibility to keep up the spree. I and the party workers have been working hard here since long. Therefore, I will seek party nomination to contest the next general election,” he said.
On the other hand, former BNP lawmaker Golam Mohammad Siraj, TouhidulAlamMamun, ex joint secretary of Bogura district unit of BNP, SM SafiuzzamanKhakon, member of BNP central committee, Barrister Anwarul Islam Shahin, ex member of Bogura district unit of BNP and BNP leader Alhaj KM Mahbubur Rahman are active in the field.
Talking to journalists they said they all want to participate in the elections, but not under this government, but under a non-partisan neutral government.
However, if the party high command decides to participate in the national polls, they will be preparing to join the next election.
Centering formation of different new committees and establishing supremacy over the party at grassroots, serious intra-party conflict developed in the Bogura constituency-5 as many leaders have been dropped from their ‘deserving’ posts.
TouhidulAlamMamun told the local correspondents that they are resolving the intra-party feud in order to make the BNP strong and organised.
“I have been working tirelessly for my party for a long time. Everybody knows about my contribution to BNP. Therefore, I will seek nomination to contest the polls. And if the general election is held under a non-party caretaker government, I’m confident that surely I will win,” he said.
The Jatiya Party high command says the fittest candidates will be nominated for the upcoming national election in Bogura constituency- 5.
In the future, no one but only the eligible persons, devoted to the Jatiya Party, will be nominated as the candidate for the upcoming national elections.
But, no leader of Jatiya Party is occupying the limelight in the constituency yet.
