BNP nominates candidates for three by-polls

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) yesterday nominated their candidates for upcoming by-elections for three constituencies.     

The candidates are: Sheikh Rabiul Alam for Dhaka-10, Kazi Khairuzzaman Shipon for Bagerhat-4, and Dr Syed Moinul Hasan Sadik for Gaibandha-3.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the names following a meeting of the party's nomination board held at party chairperson's office in Gulshan, chaired by party acting chairperson Tareque Rahman via Skype.

Earlier, the nomination board took interview of the willing candidates.

As Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh stepped down as lawmaker from Dhaka-10 constituency to contest for mayor in the Dhaka South City Corporation election, while Mozaemmel (Bagerhat-4) and Yunus Ali Sarker (Gaibandha-3) died, these constituencies fall vacant recently.

The by-elections to these constituencies will be held on March 21, according to the schedule announced by the Election Commission.

The last date for collecting nomination papers is February 19, while last date for submission is February 23. Candidates will be allowed to withdraw candidacy by February 29.

Sheikh Rabiul Alam (48) is a member of BNP's national executive committee, and serving as the joint secretary of the party's Dhaka Metropolitan South unit. The lone nomination seeker for Dhaka-10 also served as the president of Dhanmondi unit BNP earlier.

Kazi Khairuzzaman Shipon (42) is a member of Bagerhat district unit BNP. He is involved with the party since 1986.

Dr Syed Moinul Hasan Sadik (62) is the president of the district unit BNP in Gaibandha. He is also a member of the Doctors' Association of Bangladesh (DAB), a pro-BNP professional organisation.

A total of seven candidate applied for party's green card to contest in Bagerhat and Gaibandha by-polls.

Members of the standing committee of the party Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Selima Rahman and Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku attended the meeting, among others.