The Daily Star's Sohel Parvez and Jahurul Islam Sojol with the help of a few others have made an effort to analyse the affidavits submitted by the candidates, running in the 11th parliamentary polls, to the Election Commission. Today we are publishing the data of gross wealth of those who were made ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers (excluding three technocrat ministers). The gross wealth of them and their spouses and other dependents was calculated based on the value of their movable and immovable properties mentioned in the affidavits.

With the Election Commission not being able to give the number of press passes it has issued for today's election, there are allegations that many ruling party men managed the cards.

On the other hand, journalists of some mainstream media houses in Cumilla and Lalmonirhat alleged that they did not receive their press passes. Cumilla correspondents of television channels Maasranga and Ntv did not get those either, they claimed.

EC secretariat and returning officers in every districts issue cards to media personnel before election and, by using the cards, journalists can enter the polling centers to collect information.

While visiting the EC secretariat around 4:00pm yesterday, a correspondent of The Daily Star found many people were still waiting there to get their “press pass” and “vehicle stickers”.

Regarding the number of cards the EC issued yesterday, SM Asaduzzaman, director (public relations) of the commission said, “It is not possible to give the number now. It could be told tomorrow [today].”

Wishing anonymity, a number of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists of Dhaka University told this newspaper that they had gotten blank press passes for the polls day.

“I have received around 200 press passes from a senior leader [of my organisation] who instructed me to fill the card with names of activists of different associate bodies of the ruling party.

I filled them up and, in the organisation category [of the card], I put names of different media houses at my will.”

Our correspondents from several districts also said they have heard such allegations. They said local ruling party men and even relatives of local top leaders allegedly obtained press cards using the names of so-called newspapers.

Meanwhile, several journalists from Cumilla said they did not get their pass cards until 8:00pm yesterday.

Masud Alam, local correspondent of Dhaka Tribune and Bangla Tribune, said, “Although, I am an active journalist, I did not get a press card but many post holders of local political parties obtained them.”

Imtiaz Ahmed, editor of local newspaper Ajker Cumilla, also did not get a pass.

“I am still trying to get a press card,” Imtiaz, also the local correspondent of Banglanews24.com, told our Cumilla Correspondent around 8:00pm yesterday.

In Lalmonirhat, local correspondents of Alokito Bangladesh, Naya Diganta, Sangram, and Jagonews were not given press cards until 8:30pm, reports our district correspondent.

Asked about the allegations, Asaduzzaman said the EC has already issued directives for press cards and, after proper verification, the cards were issued.

However, there are journalists who are also involved with politics and such allegations may arise in such cases, he added. 

Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sayeed Khokon today said all the temporary election camps set up during the 11th national polls will be removed within the quickest possible time.

The Mayor said this while inaugurating removal work of makeshift election camps at Segunbagicha in the city on Saturday.

Sayeed Khokon said that earlier instruction was given to remove all election-related posters, banners, and other campaign materials within next 48 hours. Most of them were removed by this time while some are still visible in differed areas of the city, he said.

"If you see any poster, banner or festoon on flyover or in any other place then you will inform us to keep the city clean," Khokon said.

"We want to remove all the temporary election camps so that people can walk freely on pavements and we can keep our city clean," he added.

You can call it a typical Jatiya Party flip-flop. 

Just a day after the JP Parliamentary Party decided to join the Awami League-led grand alliance government, HM Ershad came up with a decision exactly the opposite.  

The JP chairman said the party will be the main opposition in parliament with no representation in the new cabinet. He will act as the leader of the opposition while his younger brother and JP Co-Chairman GM Quader as deputy leader of the opposition.

Ershad made the sudden announcement through a statement that was sent to different media outlets yesterday, contradicting the decision the Parliamentary Party unanimously took in a meeting on Thursday.

READ MORE: No opposition needed!

"Since we participated in the election under the banner of the Awami League-led grand alliance, we want to join the government. Who will sit on the opposition bench is not our concern," GM Quader told journalists after the meeting.

He also said, "We doubt if people will accept us as the opposition if we quit the grand alliance now to play the role of the opposition.... We don't want to sit on the opposition bench … This is a practical problem for us.”

Twenty-two party leaders, except for Ershad, were present at the meeting. Earlier on Thursday, the JP chief couldn't take oath “due to illness” at a ceremony where the rest 21 were sworn in as lawmakers of the 11th parliament. 

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, several JP lawmakers termed Ershad's decision funny and arbitrary.

“The Jatiya Party Parliamentary Party unanimously decided that the party will remain in the grand alliance government. If the party wants to stay in the opposition, the JP Parliamentary Party will sit again to make a decision in this regard. The party's chairman cannot take the decision arbitrarily. His decision is nothing but funny,” a JP lawmaker told this correspondent, wishing anonymity.

Press release of Jatiya Party (JP) on January 4, 2019.

The JP lawmaker, who is also the party's presidium member, said according to the party charter, the JP Parliamentary Party, not the chairman, can elect the party leader and deputy leader in parliament.

Another lawmaker and JP presidium member said a few party leaders might have misguided Ershad.

“Sir [Ershad] is not in good health as his physical condition deteriorated recently. A few JP leaders took this opportunity to misguide him and persuade him to issue the announcement.

"We took part in the December 30 election under the banner of the AL-led grand alliance. We will have to talk with the partners in the grand alliance if we want to act as the opposition party.

“With 22 seats in parliament, we are not sure whether the government will acknowledge us as the opposition party because at least one-tenth of the total seats are required to be considered as the main opposition party.”

He said with 22 MPs, JP may be considered as an opposition group, not the opposition party. “That's why we first need to talk to the government.”

In his statement, Ershad yesterday said: "As the chairman of the Jatiya Party, I would like to inform the people of the country and party leaders and activists at all levels that Jatiya Party will act as the main opposition party in the 11th parliament."

He further said, "As the chairman of Jatiya Party Parliamentary Party, I'll be the leader of the opposition while party co-chairman Golam Quader deputy opposition leader of the House. No Jatiya Party MP will be there in the cabinet. I urge the Speaker of the House to take necessary steps in this regard."

In the December 30 polls, the AL-led grand alliance secured 288 seats. JP, a key component of the alliance, bagged 22. The BNP-led Jatiya Oikyafront managed to win only seven seats while independent candidates got three.

The election in Gaibandha-3 was rescheduled for January 27 following the death of a candidate, and re-polling will take place in three centres in Brahmanbaria-2 on January 9.

The Jatiya Oikyafront has announced that its MPs-elect will not take oath as the alliance rejected the polls results, alleging that the election was rigged by the ruling party.

Against this backdrop, there was a speculation that the JP may sit on the opposition bench.

The JP became the main opposition in the current parliament formed after the 2014 election, which the BNP-led alliance had boycotted.

The JP in that election won 34 seats and its senior leader Raushan Ershad was recognised as the leader of the opposition with the status of a minister. Three JP MPs were also made ministers.

Their dual role has been criticised. The party could not play its due role as the main opposition in parliament in the last five years.

Ershad, known as an unpredictable character in the political arena, has a record of playing mysterious roles.

In the middle of November, he became unreachable for most of the party ranks over several days as he stayed in a house at Gulshan instead of his residence in Baridhara.

In 2006, he went into hiding facing pressure from the then ruling BNP to join its alliance. On December 18 that year, he suddenly appeared at a Paltan Maidan rally organised by the AL, and announced his decision to join the AL-led alliance.

Ershad led his party to remain in the AL-led grand alliance to contest the 9th parliamentary election in 2008, held two years behind the schedule due to the state of emergency declared amid political turmoil.

Before the 10th national election, Ershad announced that the JP would not participate in the election and asked his party's candidates to withdraw their nomination papers.

Giving rise to questions and confusions, he was taken to the CMH from his Baridhara residence on December 12, 2013.

However, a section of JP leaders decided to join the polls. The party chairman was elected as a lawmaker in the January 5 polls in 2014 as he could not withdraw his candidacy from Rangpur-3.

From the CMH, where he had been staying for unknown “illness”, Ershad directly went to the Bangabhaban to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the prime minister and ministers of the new government on January 12, 2014.

On the same day, he was appointed special envoy of the prime minister with the status of a minister. Three of his party lawmakers were inducted into the council of ministers.

In the wake of criticism against his party for being in the opposition and in the cabinet at the same time, Ershad on several occasions in recent years said he would ask the three party men to step down as ministers, paving the way for the JP to emerge as the real opposition.