A faction staged a showdown formally over nomination on Thursday. Elderly BNP leader and Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum, Chittagong unit President Advocate Kabir Chowdhury, Anwara upazila BNP founding general secretary Fauzul Azam Chowdhury, thana BNP Vice-President and thana Muktijuddha Sangsad Commander Shamsu Master and former Chittagong south district unit JCD general secretary Manzoor Uddin Chowdhury are leading the faction.

The leaders and activists loyal to Jamaluddin Ahmed Chowdhury, slain leader of Chittagong south district BNP, and sympathisers are supporting the faction. Jamaluddin was abducted and killed by his rivals in the party, creating countrywide sensation

The speakers at a rally on Thursday expressed non-confidence in Sarwar Jamal Nizam, immediate past lawmaker from the Anwara-Pashchim Patiya constituency, and demanded party nomination for Jalaluddin Ahmed.

Jalaluddin, former assistant commissioner of customs, who had a close link with the central BNP leadership since late eighties, became active in politics after his retirement recently.

The speakers at the rally at Anwara Police Station near Shaheed Minar said Sarwar Jamal Nizam's has failed to represent the people during the rule of the immediate past government as the constituency (Anwara and Karnaphuli thana) is lagging behind other parts of Chittagong.

Besides, the immediate past lawmaker's relation with the reported abductors and killers of Jamaluddin also caused an irreparable damage to the party in Anwara, they said.

They said BNP will lose its seat here if the party nominates Nizam again to contest the upcoming parliament election.

Advocate Kabir was the chief guest at the rally with Anwara thana BNP President Kamal Uddin alias Master Kamal in the chair.

Addressing the rally as the principal speaker, Jalaluddin said despite being elected for two consecutive terms in 1996 and 2001 from the constituency the immediate past lawmaker could not turn even a single school or college into a government one.

His (Nizam) failure in discharging duties also deprived the people of the upazila of a hospital for proper healthcare, he said.

Jalaluddin said due to his silence the local people were deprived of their jobs in the newly inaugurated two fertiliser projects of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (Dap) 1 & 2, he added.

With a good number of industries, the Korean EPZ -- the first private EPZ in the country -- Multi-national Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company (Kafco) and the largest state-owned urea fertiliser factory of Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited are located in the upazila.

Due to the close proximity to the port city, the upazila enjoyed tremendous industrial potentials, said the local people.

The upazila remained underdeveloped due to lack of its proper representation in parliament, aggrieved BNP men told this correspondent.

Former lawmaker Advocate Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury, also chairman of Bairag union, former thana BNP president Sarfaraz Khan and general secretary Mohammad Ali lead another faction of Anwara BNP.

Advocate Shahadat is adamant to contest the upcoming election as an independent candidate if he fails to get party ticket, local people said.

Shahadat along with Sarfaraz and Ali might also join the newly formed LDP if necessary, said the sources.

Meanwhile, the aggrieved BNP leaders and activists led by Advocate Fauzul Amin already joined LDP while a good number of such BNP men are also preparing to extend hand to the new party during the showdown of LDP Executive President Oli Ahmed Bir Bikram here on November 20, sources said.