Hectic meetings are being held to finalise committees at district and upazila levels, several BNP and JP leaders told this correspondent. The district committee may be announced before the Eid so that the party men can work for 'grand alliance' candidates in coming election, they said.

The committees will draw a large number of leaders who are unhappy with the present BNP leadership in the district led by party stalwart and former finance minister Saifur Rahman's son Naser Rahman.

Large sections of BNP and Jubo Dal leaders together with others from JP will join LDP to 'resist' Naser Rahman and his followers in the district, they claimed.

“If things go as of now, the district committee may be announced before the Eid”, LDP central leader and former lawmaker M A Mukit Khan told this correspondent yesterday.

A series of meetings have already been held at residences of JP leaders Md Suleman Khan and Syeda Hafsa Begum to form district and upazila committees and set campaign strategies, they said.

The convener and other front ranking leaders of the district committee have been selected, they claimed but declined to disclose their names fearing retaliation by Naser Rahman's men.

When contacted, Suleman Khan and Syeda Hafsa Begum admitted holding of meetings. Suleman Khan is former president of Moulvibazar district JP and Syeda Hafsa Begum is a former JP lawmaker from women's reserve aeat.

Other dependable sources also confirmed that former general secretary of district BNP advocate Juned Ahmed, former organising secretary Musharraf Hussain Badshah, BNP leader and former upazila chairman Abdul Mosobbir, BNP leader advocate Faruk Ahmed, Jubo Dal leader Matin Baksh, Chhatra Dal leader Ali Sabder Khan Babor, district Gono Forum secretary Bakshi Iqbal Ahmed, former secretary of Moulvibazar Bar Association Ashraf Uddin Choudhury Mintu are in the front line to organise LDP in Moulvibazar.

They claimed that at least 10,000 activists from different parties in the district will join LDP along with the leaders.

The aggrieved BNP leaders said Saifur Rahman was elected from Moulvibazar-3 (Sadar and Rajnagar) and Sylhet 1 (Sadar and Companygonj) constituencies in 2001 election. Though Moulvibazar is his home constituency, he quit the seat to get his son Naser Rahman elected from there. Naser was elected in a by-election boycotted by Awami League.

After being elected, Naser 'captured' the post of district BNP president and expelled leaders like district general secretary Juned Ahmed, Joint secretary Muazzem Hussain Matuk, organizing secretary Musharraf Hussain Badshah and many other dedicated party men only to establish his 'monopoly control' over the organisation, they alleged.

These annoyed a section of BNP leaders, who became virtually inactive. Most of these leaders and workers will join LDP, they claimed.

Talking to this correspondent, Musharraf Hussain Badshah and Bakshi Iqbal Ahmed admitted their attendance to the meetings.