Many Awami League (AL) and BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) leaders are in the race to get nominations from their respective parties for Sirajganj-3, known as a stronghold of the ruling party, in the next general election.
Though the country’s 12th national poll is still over four months away, the poll euphoria is already visible here in Sirajganj-3 constituency with the hectic campaign by nomination seekers of the major parties to woo their party high-ups for party tickets.
The election will be held in the last week of December this year or first week of January next.
Many areas of Raiganj and Tarash upazilas upazilas under the constituency are replete with posters, billboards and banners of nomination seekers of AL BNP and other parties.
The aspiring candidates vying for nominations and their supporters have hit the campaign trail by conducting mass contact and distributing leaflets to manifest their popularity alongside keeping in close touch with their party high-ups to ensure their nomination.
They have also become active in social and organisational activities.
As the battle to get a party ticket among their probable candidates is getting fierce, the top district leaders of AL and BNP have also intensified their efforts to contain intra-party conflicts and strengthen their parties’ organisational capacity.
They are holding views-exchange meetings, discussions and various programmes with grassroots leaders and activists to make them united and motivated for working for the candidates who will bag their respective party tickets.
However, leaders of other parties, including the opposition Jatiya Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) have not launched campaigns yet in the Sirajganj-3 constituency.
But both the local AL and BNP have been divided into several groups over nominations.
On the other side, BNP aspirants are also staging demonstrations, rallies and meetings as part their ‘one-point’ movement with the goal to remove the AL from power to hold the upcoming national elections under a neutral government.
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.
A cross section of locals said those who support the BNP or the Jamaat-e-Islami have either kept themselves away from campaigning or have started electioneering for the AL to “avert police trouble or harassment”, according to local people.
Though the two major political camps remain rigid on their stances over the contentious issue of polls-time administration, they are making preparations for the 12th parliamentary election, according to locals.
This time AL will try hard to retain the constituency while the BNP, to regain it.
However, BNP is internally preparing for the election in the constituency.
BNP is a big political party and its leaders also want to take part in the polls, local BNP leaders and activists said.
Therefore, nomination seekers of AL and BNP have already started passing their hectic days through polls campaigning in the constituency
They have started shows of strength down through meetings and mass contacts.
Abdul Aziz of ruling AL has been representing the party in the National Parliament since 2019 from Sirajganj-3 constituency.
The constituency encompasses Raiganj and Tarash upazilas.
Sirajganj-3 constituency has a total of 3, 31,336 voters--1, 64,539 men and 1, 66,797 women.
The constituency comprises one municipality Raiganj and 17 union parishads - nine union parishads of Raiganj upazila and eight union parishads of Tarash upazila.
The constituency was created in 1984 from a Pabna constituency when the former Pabna District was split into two districts: Sirajganj and Pabna.
AL candidate Ishaque Hossain Talukder contested the general election held in 1986 and became the Member of Parliament (MP).
Ataur Rahman, a freedom fighter of the Liberation war of Bangladesh and candidate of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal contested the Jatiya Sangsad poll in 1988 and won the Sirajganj-3 seat.
BNP candidate Abdul Mannan Talukder contested the general election held in 1991 and became the MP from the constituency.
He (Abdul Mannan) also contested the February general election held in 1996 and retained the seat again.
Abdul Mannan also contested the June general election held in the same year and became the lawmaker.
He contested the general election held in 2001 and won the seat again.
AL candidate Ishaque Hossain Talukder contested the national poll held in 2008 and regained the seat.
Ishaque Hossain Talukder was re-elected unopposed in the 2014 general election after opposition parties withdrew their candidacies in a boycott of the election.
But, Ishak Hossain Talukder died of a cardiac disease in October in 2014.
The constituency fell vacant after the death of Awami League lawmaker Ishaque Hossain Talukder.
Later Gazi MM Amzad Hossain Milon, former president of Tarash upazila unit of AL, got the party’s nomination for contesting in the by-election to the Sirajganj-3 (Raiganj-Tarash) constituency.
Amzad Hossain was elected unopposed in December after the Election Commission disqualified the only other candidate in the by-election scheduled for later that month.
But, the former Sirajganj-3 MP and Tarash Upazila AL President Gazi MM Amzad Hossain Milon passed away in April in 2021.
AL candidate Abdul Aziz contested the general election held in 2018 and won the seat.
The incumbent lawmaker Abdul Aziz will seek party (AL) nomination to contest the upcoming general election from Sirajganj-3 constituency.
Apart from incumbent lawmaker Abdul Aziz, the possible candidates of AL are Sanjit Karmakar, General Secretary of Tarash upazila unit of AL, Emrul Hassan Emon, younger son of late MP Ishak Hossain Talukder and Chairman of Raiganj upazila, Md. Hossain Mansur, member of AL advisory council, industrialist ATM Lutfar Rahman Dilu and central Krishak League leader Sakhawat Hossain Sweet.
They all have good connections and popularity with the people in terms of voting position.
Talking to this correspondent Sanjit Karmakar said he will seek party nomination to contest the next general election from Sirajganj-3 constituency.
“I have been working for my party Awami League since my student life. I always stay with common people here. I think I’m fit for an MP candidate. Therefore, I will seek party nomination this time to contest the next general elections,” he said.
Replying to a query Sanjit Karmakar said if the party does not nominate him, he along with local party leaders and workers will be working together to ensure the win of the AL -nominated candidate.
“We all will work in unison for the win of the AL -nominated candidate in the next election here. So, I have already started seeking votes for my party's electoral symbol 'Boat' in the next general election,” said.
Fortune of the people of our constituency has changed, electricity has reached every house and Bangladesh is marching ahead as the Awami League is in power, he added.
On the other hand, four candidates of BNP are former parliamentary member Abdul Mannan Talukder, central rural devolvement affairs leader Saiful Islam Shishir, former Raiganj upazila Chairman VP Aynul Haque and Tarash upazila BNP President Khandaker Selim Jahangir.
Candidates are doing the welfare task and taking part in the public functions like religious and social activities with a view to seeking enormous votes and support of the general people.
Abdul Mannan Talukder is a strong candidate from the BNP and for this reason, has a higher possibility of getting nomination from the BNP.
