Kurigram-3: Shop employee in polls race with people's love
Shopkeeper Delwar Hossain, 59, who is running for parliament in Kurigram-3, campaigns by himself with just a megaphone and finances his bid for seat in parliament with whatever people donate.
The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) nominee is the president of Ulipur upazila Khetmajur Samity (farm labourers' cooperative) and is an employee of Sathi Biz Bhander, an agro-seed shop at Ulipur Bazar.
With the megaphone, the resident of Ulipur's Dharnibari union asks people to vote for him at important places and markets. This correspondent found him in Gabar More area of Ulipur when he was electioneering.
“Kurigram is the poorest region of the country. Kurigram Textile Mills has been kept shut for a long time. Why has it been done?” Delwar said.
At one stage of his speech, he said, “I am an employee of a seed shop and I have only 2.25 decimals of land. I have been involved in Khetmajur Samity since 1980. Please donate Tk 5 or Tk 10 so that I can print posters and run my campaign. My labourer friends have given me Tk 52,000 for electoral expenditure, including the cost of filing nomination.”
People were seen donating small amounts for his campaign.
“Some MPs loot money of the poor. I think this man is good and he talks about the poor people. That's why I donated," said Abul Kashem, 52.
Delwar has eight rivals, two of them industrialists, in Kurigram-3 with 3,03,180 voters.
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