Jamaat contestant's move widens rift with BNP
Rift between BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami has widened as Jamaat leader Abdul Wahed further expressed his determination to contest the poll in Kushtia-2 (Mirpur-Bheramara) constituency after submitting nomination paper.
BNP nominated Sahidul Islam won the seat in 1996 and 2001 elections. Wahed has already started campaign assuring that situation will be changed. Large number of leaders and activists of Jamaat who campaigned for BNP leader Sahidul in 2001 election are now accompanying Wahed.
Sources said Jamaat strongly believes that possibility of winning of their candidate is bright than BNP candidate Sahidul Islam. Wahed is Ameer of Kushtia district Jamaat-e-Islami. Earlier, he was elected lawmaker in 1986 election.
Jamaat was demanding the seat for long considering the party's good number of votes in there. Moreover, leaders and activists of Jamaat were always against the BNP leader Sahidul Islam. Even they raised voices against Shahidul in different meetings.
Later, Jamaat started strong lobbying to capture the seat from BNP banking on bad image of immediate past BNP lawmaker Sahidul Islam that he earned in last ten years of his tenure. Sahidul also left the area after 1/11 changeover. He then went into hiding when Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) branded him as corruption suspect. Sahidul was seen no more in Kushtia since then. Sahidul has returned back to his constituency after two years. Accused in seven cases including of murder, Sahidul recently got bail from the High Court.
Submitting nomination paper he started campaign. Both Jamaat Ameer Wahed and BNP leader Sahidul have expressed their determination to get nomination from 4-party alliance. When contacted Sahidul mentioned himself as 4-party alliance candidate, and described Wahed as the candidate of Jamaat only.
According to different sources, despite its own votes, BNP candidate may face defeat in 2001 election if it would not get Jamaat's vote where Awami League (AL) candidate got defeat with small margin. The AL candidate Mahbubul Alam Hanif got 87,734 votes.
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