6 Jatiya Party leaders eyeing Ershad’s seat

At least six aspirants, including Jatiya Party founder HM Ershad’s son, his youngest brother and nephew, want to contest the upcoming Rangpur-3 by-polls with the party ticket.

The parliamentary seat remained vacant after JP chairman and also opposition leader of the House Ershad died on July 14.

The Rangpur-3 constituency (Sadar upazila) is considered the stronghold of JP, the main opposition in parliament. Ershad won all elections he took part from this seat following the end of his military rule in 1990. 

According to party insiders, the six nomination aspirants are Ershad’s son Shad Ershad, his youngest brother Hussain Mohammad Morshed, nephew Asif Shahriar, Rangpur district unit President of JP Fakaruzzaman Jahangir, its acting general secretary Abdur Razzak, and Rangpur city unit General Secretary SM Yeashir.

The party’s high-ups are concerned whether it will pick the right candidate from half a dozen aspirants on consensus, they added. 

The ruling Awami League and the BNP also announced that they would vie for the seat, taking advantage of “rift” in the JP over its leadership following Ershad’s death, said sources. 

“There may be many aspirants who want to run as they think it will be easy to win the election,” JP Chairman GM Quader told this correspondent.

But the party’s parliamentary board will select a competent and acceptable contender so that no intra-party conflict arises, he said.

The party will start selling nomination forms after the Election Commission announces the polls schedule, he added.

Fakhrul Imam, senior presidium member and JP lawmaker, told The Daily Star that he, along with some other lawmakers, had talked to JP Senior Co-chairperson and Ershad’s widow Raushan Ershad, asking her to pick Shad.

Presidium member Faysal Chisty said the party would form its parliamentary board to pick the candidate.

Rangpur City Corporation Mayor and JP presidium member Mostafizar Rahman said the party high-ups seemed divided over selecting the candidate.

“But everyone will abide by the decision of the party’s parliamentary board and will work accordingly to ensure victory from the seat,” he also said. 

Four JP nomination aspirants -- Asif, Jahangir, Yasir and Razzaq -- are conducting campaigns to get the party ticket. Shad Ershad and Morshed are yet to start their campaigns, local JP leaders said.

Seeking blessings of voters and people of the constituency, posters of JP nomination aspirants are all over the area, they said.

JP nomination aspirant Yeashir claimed that different organisations and agencies in their surveys found him to be a serious candidate in the by-polls.

“But I have learnt that some top leaders of the party are lobbying for Shad Ershad, while GM Quader has requested his youngest brother Morshed to be the candidate. But people want me to contest the election,” he said.

He added that presidents and secretaries of all ward and union units would back him for consideration from a press conference today.

Another aspirant Razzak said he was waiting to get the nod from the party high command to run.

Our Dinajpur correspondent contributed to this report.