A tough contest is likely to be held between the three-time elected Member of Parliament, Awami League nominated Shahriar Alam and the former Member of Parliament, Awami League leader, Independent candidate Rahenul Haque Raihan in the ensuing 12th Parliamentary elections at Rajshahi-6 (Charghat-Bagha) constituency. Shahriar Alam is contesting with the symbol ' Boat' while Rahenul Haque is contesting with the symbol 'Scissor'.
After the announcement of the election schedules, there have been huge discussions, criticisms, opinions and counter-opinions among the people of the constituency. All the candidates have already started their election campaigning and they are, with their followers, visiting the voters in the villages and houses of the constituency. The government-backed candidate, MP and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam is campaigning for his candidature seeking votes for the Boat symbol. He is very popular among the people of his area for his outstanding capacity and contribution to the development of Bagha and Charghat for the last 15 years. Awami League and its front organisations' leaders are spontaneously participating in the campaigning for 'Boat'.
On the other hand, AL leader, former MP Rahenul Haque Raihan and his followers have started a massive mass contact in the towns and rural areas seeking votes in favour of 'Scissor'. Bagha Upazila Chairman and Joint Secretary of Rajshahi district AL Advocate Layeb Uddin Lavlu, Bagha Municipality Mayor and Member of district AL Akkas Ali, Pakuria Union Parishad Chairman, former General Secretary of district Chhatra League Merajul Islam Meraj, Vice-Chairman of Charghat Upazila Parisad Golam Kibria Biplob, among others, were working for the candidacy of Raihan and were seeking votes in favour of 'Scissor'.
According to sources, the first Parliamentary Elections in Bangladesh were held in 1973 when Atoar Rahman Talukder was elected MP in the Charghat-Bagha constituency.
Afterwards, in the next two Parliamentary Elections, Nurun Nabi Chand of the Jatiya Party was elected MP. Later the constituency was ruled by BNP MP of Charghat-Bagha constituency Abu Sayed Chand. Later, in 2008, AL nominated candidate Shahriar Alam was elected as a Member of Parliament from the constituency for the first time. Later, in the 10th and the 11th Parliamentary Elections, Shahriar Alam was reelected with the symbol 'Boat'.
This is the fourth time Shahriar Alam is contesting with the 'Boat' symbol as the AL nominee candidate. Meanwhile, in the by-election of 2000, Rahenul Haque Raihan was elected as the MP for one year by contesting with Shahriar Alam.
Excepting Shahriar Alam and Rahenul Haque, Jatiya Party candidate Shamsuddin Rintu, National People's Party candidate Mohsin Ali, JSD candidate Julfiqur Mannan, BNM Candidate Abdus Samad are also in the elections frays.