4-party completes seat sharing

Following a seat-sharing deal between BNP and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamaat received 34 seats to run for the upcoming national polls under the banner of four-party alliance.

However, in four other constituencies--Chapainawabganj-3, Sirajganj-4, Rajshahi-3 and Jhenidah-3--Jamaat candidates will be battling against candidates of their ally BNP.

BNP also gave four seats to the two parties in Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ), Brahmanbaria-2, Jessore-5, Sunamganj-3 and Madaripur-1, and two seats to Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), Bhola-1 and Bhola-2.

However, IOJ candidates too will be contesting BNP and Jamaat candidates in Netrakona-3 and Cox's Bazar-2 constituencies.

"We requested them [BNP and Jamaat] to withdraw from Cox's Bazar-2 and Netrakona-3 but we did not get any positive response," Abdul Latif Nezami, secretary general of IOJ, told The Daily Star around 8:00pm yesterday.

Jamaat received seven constituencies where BNP candidates won in 2001 elections and the four seats, where candidates of both the allied parties are contesting, are considered BNP strongholds.

"We had filed nominations for 49 seats but now we have withdrawn from 11 seats in the greater interest of the four-party alliance," Jamaat Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid said in a statement. Jamaat also sent a letter to the Election Commission asking it to allocate the "scales" election symbol for its 38 candidates.

In 2001 elections, Jamaat received 30 constituencies of the four-party alliance and won 17 of them.

BNP, which leads the four-party alliance, did not make any formal statement regarding their seat-sharing deal with Jamaat as of last night, the deadline for withdrawing candidature for the December 29 polls.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia formally starts the party's long-awaited election campaign today by offering special prayers at the shrines of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA), Hazrat Shah Paran (RA) and Hazrat Burhanuddin Shah (RA) in Sylhet.

She is to speak at several public meetings and gatherings in Sylhet and at places on her way back to the capital. Her schedule includes meetings at Osmani Nagar, Nabiganj, Ali Hossain College, Habiganj, Baliachar High School, Madhabpur High School and Brahmanbaria.

She also has a meeting scheduled for 3:15pm at South Surma, Sylhet, party sources said.

She is to unveil the BNP election manifesto tomorrow in the capital.

JAMAAT CANDIDATES
Maulana Abdul Hakim for Thakurgaon-2 constituency, Maulana Md Hanif for Dinajpur-1, Md Anwarul Islam for Dinajpur-6, Moniruzzaman Montu for Nilphamari-2, Azizul Islam for Nilphamari-3, Maulana Habibur Rahman for Lalmonirhat-1, Abdul Gani for Rangpur-1, ATM Azharul Islam for Rangpur-2, Shah Md Hafizur Rahman for Rangpur-5, Prof Nur Alam Bakul for Kurigram-4, Maulana Abdul Aziz for Gaibandha-1, Maulana Nazrul Islam for Gaibandha-3, Abdur Rahim Sarkar for Gaibandha-4, Latifur Rahman for Chapainawabganj-3, Ataur Rahman for Rajshahi-3, Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan for Sirajganj-4, Motiur Rahman Nizami for Pabna-1, Abdus Sobhan for Pabna-5, Maulana Habibur Rahman for Chuadanga-2, Motiar Rahman for Jhenidah-3, Azizur Rahman for Jessore-1, Abu Saeed Md Shahadat Hossain for Jessore-2, Abdul Wadud for Bagerhat-3, Prof Shahidul Islam for Bagerhat-4, Mia Golam Parwar for Khulna-5, Shah Ruhul Quddus for Khulna-6, Abdul Khaleque Mondal for Shatkhira-2, Riasat Ali Biswas for Shatkhira-3, Gazi Nazrul Islam for Satkhira-4, Sultan Ahmad for Barguna-2, Delwar Hossain Saidee for Pirojpur-1, Muhammad Kamaruzzaman for Sherpur-1, Ali Ahsan Mojahid for Faridpur-3, Farid Uddin Chowdhury for Sylhet-5, Habibur Rahman for Sylhet-6, Syed Abdullah Md Taher for Comilla-11, Muhammad Shamsul Islam for Chittagong-14 and Hamidur Rahman Azad for Cox's Bazar-2.

IOJ CANDIDATES /b>
Fazlul Haque Aminee for Brahmanbaria-2, Muhammad Waqqas for Jessore-5, Shahinur Pasha Chowdhury for Sunamganj-3, Abdullah Md Hasan for Madaripur-1, Muhammad Ehtesham Sarwar for Netrakona-3 and Mohammad Solaiman for Cox's Bazar-2.

BJP CANDIDATES /b>
Andaleeve Rahman Partho for Bhola-1 and Ashiqur Rahman Shanto for Bhola-2.