Major opposition BNP is yet to declare any candidate to contest against Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza for Narail-2 constituency in the election.
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was the lone nomination seeker from the Awami League to contest the election from the seat, who was okayed by the Election Commission.
BNP had kept three candidates -- AZM Fariduzzaman, Sharif Kasafuddoza Kafi and M Shaidul Islam (rejected by RO) – to contest him at the elections.
But, they have decided to rest the case for now as Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary general of the BNP, did not declare any candidate for this constituency.
ABOUT THE CONSTITUENCY
Narail-2 constituency is comprised with Lohagora Upazila, and Narail Sadar except Kalora, Bichli, Bhadrabila, Singa Solpur, and Sheikh Hati Unions.
According to the Election Commission, the seat has a voter base of 317, 763 voters, among which 157,084 are male and 160,679 females. There are 140 voting centres in the constituency.
WHEN IS THE ELECTION?
The 11th general election will be held on December 30. It was deferred once by the Election Commission upon demands from the opposition political parties.
As per the polls schedule, the deadline for filing the nomination papers was November 28. Since then, the commission has been engaged in hearing appeals of rejected candidates.
After December 9, the last date for nomination withdrawal, the commission will allot polls symbols to contestant and open the field for campaigning.
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This is not the first time that such a concern is being raised, nor is it likely to be the last if the political argument for having opposition remains as strong as it is now. But in some circles, there is an air of exhaustion around the endless rise-again-fall-again cycle of BNP that is getting a tad overbearing. Just months ago, a then-resurgent BNP pulled massive crowds to its anti-government rallies, despite severe obstacles, only to crumble as the election neared. Its retreat to the back foot amid mass arrests and convictions was as remarkable as it was rapid, and it didn't help raise party morale either when questions were thrown around about its post-election existence.
These questions, interestingly, are being fuelled by none other than Awami League, the architect of its decline. Citing violence and arson attacks that occurred in the wake of BNP's October 28 rally, ruling party leaders seem to want a harsher response to BNP. Reactions have ranged from terming it as a "terrorist" group that "has no right to do politics," to calling it an "illegitimate" party, to an outright demand for its ban on charges of terrorism. Many view these calls as an effort to further incapacitate BNP with an eye on the future.
However, during a recent interview, Law Minister Anisul Huq downplayed the statements as being "political," claiming there is no plan yet to ban BNP. When asked about their strategy of dealing with BNP after the election, which Awami League is certain to win, Huq said: "We will see post-election. But Awami League believes in democracy. We do not say that we will wipe out any party. But as history has shown, many parties disappear because of their own actions." Even if Awami League wants to avoid the optics of banning a direct rival for power—like it did with Jamaat after the High Court declared its registration with the Election Commission illegal in August 2013—nothing definitive can be said about when, or whether, BNP will be able to recover from the heavy crackdown it just suffered.
Like a receding hairline behind a headband, BNP's existential crisis is being covered with a façade of press notes, interviews, and occasional meetings by mostly second-tier leaders. The crisis still shines through. This would be considered a master stroke by the government if it wasn't so preposterous and undemocratic. Just imagine: in less than two months since November 7, at least 1,540 BNP-Jamaat activists have been sentenced on various charges.
There are various speculations about what will happen after January 7. One analyst suggested that Awami League will double down in its persecutions, sending "an ominous signal" for BNP's future existence. Already, Awami League is reportedly asking its grassroots to support candidates from other parties in a number of constituencies in a bid to have "a parliament of all stripes." Jatiya Party, despite diminishing enthusiasm and some 20 of its candidates pulling out of the race, may again find itself thrust into the opposition bench, although the presence of independents may complicate the situation. But it only goes to support the shift away from a BNP-centric opposition narrative.
However, in a recent interview, a BNP lawyer-leader has stressed that any plan to ban or destroy BNP will not be successful. He referred to BNP's resilience amid what he called failed attempts over the years to break the party into pieces or create a leadership crisis within it. BNP reportedly plans to continue its anti-government movement after the election. For the party leaders and activists on the receiving end of government repression, however, it will be difficult to stay motivated, especially in the absence of any tangible result. These days, BNP leaders are hard to find on the streets, and harder still at their homes or party offices, most of which are locked anyway. The fear of being arrested/framed/convicted is keeping them on the run, and off tough demonstrations. Rather than organising hartals and blockades, as it did before, BNP is focusing on mass contact to dissuade voters from casting their ballots, planning only a two-day hartal on the eve of the election.
Like a receding hairline behind a headband, BNP's existential crisis is being covered with a façade of press notes, interviews and occasional meetings by mostly second-tier leaders. The crisis still shines through. This would be considered a master stroke by the government if it wasn't so preposterous and undemocratic. Just imagine: in less than two months since November 7, at least 1,540 BNP-Jamaat activists have been sentenced on various charges. The number of those who have been arrested, are in custody, or awaiting trials is many, many more, running well into 20,000, as per BNP sources. A number of party activists have also died in custody. In fact, the record book for the whole election year, according to a rights organisation, is saturated with such examples.
If there was a contest for "opposition cleansing" among the hybrid regimes where Bangladesh is now a formidable entrant, Awami League would surely ace it.
Against this backdrop, we can argue about whether reducing a national election to something akin to a party council, at the estimated cost of over Tk 2,000 crore, is at all worth it. We can speculate about how far it will set us back as a nation, both politically and economically. We can cry hoarse about how elections in general have become an enabler of the corrupt and affluent rather than the general citizens, who should be in the driving seat and be able to choose their own representatives. We can even argue about BNP, having experienced first-hand how ruthless and ingenious the government can be in eliminating competition, being unprepared for all possible scenarios, thus partly causing its own downfall.
But, after all is said and done, the fact remains that BNP—whose willing and unobstructed participation in the election, along with other pro-democracy parties, could right a lot of the wrongs we face today—stands at a critical point in its history. In that it also symbolises the plight of a disenfranchised populace. The future is uncertain. But such is the irony of our time that whether the party will perish amid sustained government assaults, or be reduced to a Jamaat/Jatiya Party-like existence, or succeed to start from the ground up may not entirely depend on itself. It all comes back to Awami League.
Badiuzzaman Bay is assistant editor at The Daily Star. He can be reached at [email protected]
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza weighed in on the controversy regarding Tamim Iqbal's eleventh-hour exclusion from the World Cup squad, saying the captain or the coach should have directly spoken to the batter about the team's plan to bat him in the middle order against Afghanistan.
In a video posted on his official Facebook page, Mashrafe lambasted board officials for meddling in team's gameplans, as claimed by Tamim in a facebookj video the cricketer posted on Wednesday afternoon.
"No one from the cricket board has the right to tell Tamim where to bat. It's the captain or coach's responsibility to do so," Mashrafe, also a member of parliament from the ruling Awami League, said in the video.
"I think since Shakib is the captain… Shakib as the captain could have sent the message through a text or rang him (Tamim) up on the phone to say, 'I have a plan. I will talk to you about this later.'
"I think the whole thing would have ended there [had it happened]."
Mashrafe was also critical of whoever the person was that had leaked allegedly false information about Tamim's availability.
"The issue between Shakib and Tamim proves that third parties are always harmful. If there are such issues between cricketers, they themselves should solve them," the former captain said.
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Bangladesh's former ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza picked up a five-wicket haul for Legends of Rupganj in his return to action against Gazi Group Cricketers in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) today.
Mashrafe could play just five matches in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) before he had to leave the tournament due to political engagements.
Sent in to bat, Gazi were skittled out for just 136, courtesy of Mashrafe's five for 19 in 8 overs.
Mashrafe opened his account with a caught and bowled to remove Pritom Kumar for 14. Although he was still bowling with a shortened run-up, his line and length along with movement were still troubling for batters.
He produced a double-wicket over to remove Sabbir Hossen and Foysal Ahmed before returning next over to pick up Moin Khan for one.
He went on to complete his fifer in the 23rd over with the wicket of Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby. It was Mashrafe's eighth List A five-wicket haul with only Abdur Razzak ahead of him amongst Bangladesh bowlers with nine five-wicket hauls.
Rupganj chased down the target in 28 overs as Chowdhury Mohammad Rizwan hit an unbeaten 44-ball 47 while Shamim Hossain played a cameo 16-ball 26 to help Rupganj to a six-wicket win.
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Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has slammed the Indian Premier League for not fielding Bangladesh players after picking them in the auction at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Thursday.
The 39-year-old expressed his disappointment on the issue and pointed out how the IPL franchises can use the fan following of Bangladesh players to their advantage on their social media handles.
Mashrafe used the example of Mustafizur Rahman, who was flown to India by Delhi Capitals on a chartered plane. The urgency indicated that the franchise wanted 'The Fizz' in their lineup from the onset but he had to warm the bench for the first three matches before getting an opportunity to play. Mashrafe asserted that Bangladesh players should be included in the lineup, considering their ability and not just to add value to their brand via social media following that the Bangladesh players have often brought to teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, and of course Kolkata Knight Riders.
"It is very good that one of us (Liton) is playing in the IPL. They flew out our Mustafiz on a chartered plane and didn't play him. There is a lot to it; There is a social media aspect to it and we become excited as well. Bangladesh cricket has a fanbase which they can use. That priority should be given as our players have the ability. If they pick us, they should play us but it doesn't happen. That priority should be given as our players have the ability," he told the reporters after his Dhaka Premier League match on Thursday.
Mashrafe, who himself played in the inaugural season of the IPL in 2008 for KKR, said that he is not concerned about the IPL and that his thoughts lie with the Bangladesh team.
"I don't have any headaches about the IPL. It does not concern me whether Liton plays or not. The Bangladesh team is my headache. I, you, and everyone will be happy when the Bangladesh team will play well," he said.
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Sylhet Skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza elevated himself in the batting order to inflict some damage in the Powerplay against Rangpur Riders but the ploy ended up not working due to some lethargic running between the wickets by the veteran player.
After the first wicket of Mohammad Mithun fell in the second over, Mashrafe came out to bat at No.3.
The right-hander showed his intent with a boundary against off-spinner Mahedi Hasan in the fourth over but in the very next delivery he got run out while taking a single.
Mashrafe was guilty of not dragging his bat in and instead tried to plant it inside the crease. But before he could do that, the ball broke the stumps after Mahedi fumbled to collect the throw.
After Mashrafe departed for six, Yasir Ali also fell victim to Mahedi for nine as Sylhet could muster just 35 runs in the first six overs.
Things got even worse for last year's runners-up as Zakir Hasan got stumped for just one in the seventh over by Mohammad Nabi.
Earlier, Rangpur won the toss and opted to bowl first.
যে অভাবটি তীব্রভাবে অনুভব করি তা হলো, আমাদের এমন কিছু বই প্রয়োজন যেগুলোতে নয় মাসব্যাপী মুক্তিযুদ্ধের সঙ্গে সংশ্লিষ্ট সব ধরনের জটিলতা ও সমস্যা বিশেষভাবে তুলে ধরা হয়েছে।