JP led by Raushan to join polls: Chunnu

Jatiya Party, led by Raushan Ershad, will take part in the 10th parliamentary election for the sake of upholding the constitution, the party's presidium member Mujibul Haque Chunnu said today.

Around 80 candidates from the party, who did not withdraw their nominations or whose nominations were not cancelled by the Election Commission, will participate in the election, he informed.

These include the 21 JP candidates who were elected uncontested and they will remain in their seats, Chunnu said emerging from a meeting with party senior presidium member Raushan Ershad at the latter's Gulshan residence.

The statement followed repeated reiteration by the party chief HM Ershad that JP would not take part in the January 5 election.

"We have no other option but to join the election," the JP lawmaker told journalists around 12:30pm when the country's political arena has been evolving on the issue whether the JP would participate in the polls.

GM Quader, another presidium member of the party, after visiting the party chief at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka yesterday said Ershad has reiterated that his party will not budge from its decision to boycott the 10th parliamentary elections.

Quoting Ershad, Quader also said, “Some media reports stated contradictory stances within the party over its participation in the polls. These are not correct. I am still firm on my position of not joining the polls.”

However, GM Quader, in a press briefing at his Uttara residence, said, "Our chairman is HM Ershad … Since he could not say anything directly, Secretary General Ruhul Amin Hawlader and I have been informing you of his instructions. If anyone tells anything in his name, it will not be his statement."

The party leaders were making such contradictory statements repeatedly over contesting the parliamentary polls when Ershad is “undergoing treatment” at the CMH.

Ershad has allegedly been “confined” to the CMH from December 12 after being “picked up” by the members of an intelligence group from his Baridhara residence.

On December 13, Ershad sent a statement through his spokesperson Bobby Hajjaj that he was kept detained at the CMH.