Party men in both the constituencies at several meetings have expressed their resolve not to support any 'outsider' candidate with alliance nomination.

BNP leaders and workers in the two constituencies started expressing their reaction when it was known unofficially that IOJ chairman Mufti Fazlul Haque Amini MP may be given alliance ticket from Brahmanbaria-2 and State Minister for Land and Power advocate Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan may be asked to run in Brahman-baria-1, party sources said. Sattar will face party contenders in Brahmanbaria-1.

In 2001 election, Abdus Sattar 'sacrificed' his Brahmanbaria-2 constituency for Amini and he (Amini) was elected. As a reward, Sattar was made a technocrat state minister, front ranking BNP leaders said.

In the interest of retaining the alliance, its high-ups have requested Sattar to allow Amini to contest from Brahmanabaria-2 in the coming election and seek nomination from Brahmanbaria-1 for himself.

But Sattar will have to face three contenders in Brahmanbaria-1 for the ticket, the sources said.

The three possible contenders for alliance ticket in Brahmanbaria-1 are former lawmaker Sayed Murshed Kamal who joined BNP from Jatiya Party (Ershad), BNP leader industrialist Sayed AK Ekramuzzaman and Nasirnagar upazila BNP secretary SM Shafi Mahmud.

Amini's lobbying for alliance ticket has created rivalry between BNP and IOJ in Brahmanbaria-2 and between BNP in Brahmanbaria-1, they said.

Recently, BNP's Sarail upazila unit held a public meeting with its president Abdur Rahman in chair where Abdus Satter, president of Brahmanbaria district BNP, was the chief guest.

Addressing in the meeting, Sattar said Mufti Amini was elected from Brahmanbaria-2 in 2001 election with BNP votes.

"This (constituency) was my confirmed but I sacrificed it in the interest of the alliance", he told the meeting. Sattar was elected from Brahmanbaria-2 three times earlier.

Abdur Rahman told the meeting that Amini was not a man from Sarail. "He is a seasonal bird. He won the election with BNP votes".

"After the election, he (Amini) did not maintain contact with local BNP leaders", Abdur Rahman alleged.

At the meeting, BNP leaders and workers vowed that they will no more support Amini as alliance nominee from Brahmanbaria 2.

On the other hand, a day after the BNP public meting, IOJ leaders held a grand meeting at Darul Akram Al Islamic Madrasa in Brahmanbaria to chalk out a polls strategy.

At least 200 IOJ leaders were present in the meeting in which they formed several committees to conduct campaign in all 15 unions in Brahmanbaria-2 constituency.

In the meeting, they also criticised Sattar, saying that he was conspiring against the alliance.

In 1996 election, Abdus Satter won from Brahmanabaria-2 as a BNP candidate with 53,932 votes while Mufti Fazlul Haque Amini got 12,567 votes and lost his security money.

On the other hand, Nasirnagar upazila (Brahmanbaria-1) BNP leaders and workers vowed to resist any 'outsider' candidate in the area. Sattar does not hail from Brahmanbaria-1 though he was elected from there in 1979 as an independent candidate.

But in the coming election, most of the BNP in Brahmanbaria-1 constituency want a candidate who is a man of the area, party sources said.

On the party's founding day, Nasirnagar BNP held a meeting with its upazila unit president Md. Iqbal Chowdhury in chair.

It was addressed by, among other, BNP aspirants Sayed Murshed Kamal and Sayed AK Ekramuzzaman, upazila BNP secretary Qumruzaman Mamun and local party leaders MA Hannan, Ahidul Khan and Momidul Kader Kachi.

Due to internal feud in BNP in Brahmanbaria-1, Awami League (AL) candidate Md. Saydul Haque won the seat in 1996 and 2001.

Awami League candidate Md. Saydul Haque had won the seat in 1974 but it went to Abdus Sattar in 1979.

Political circles said Awami League may have good chances in Brahmanbaria-1 and Brah-manbaria-2 in the coming election if the intra-party feud in BNP and its conflict with IOJ can not be resolved.