Rawshan lone woman runner in Mymensingh

Jatiya Party presidium member Rawshan Ershad is the only woman in the district among 70 candidates running for December 29 parliamentary polls.
In 1996 election, Jatiya Party nominee Rawshan Ershad won Mymensingh-4 seat securing 72,130 votes against her nearest rival AL's Amir Ahmed Chowdhury Ratan who got 61,831 votes. BNP candidate late AKM Fazlul Haque was in the third position securing 55,838 votes. This time she is contesting on Grand Alliance ticket.
In 2001 general election, BNP nominee Delwar Hossain Khan Dulu won the race bagging 1,02,016 votes defeating AL candidate Principal Motiur Rahman who secured 83,380 votes. Rawshan Ershad of Jatiya Party got 47,077 votes while Amir Ahmed Chowdhury Ratan, an AL rebel who ran the election as an independent candidate secured 28,893 votes.
This year the scenario is different than that of the past years. For new demarcation of Mymensingh Sadar constituency, five unions of the char areas were taken with Mymensingh-3 (Gouripur) constituency.
It is a big challenge for Rawshan to regain the seat fighting with the BNP candidate former State Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources AKM Mosharraf Hossain. Mosharraf got party nomination instead of Delwar Hossain Khan Dulu. Khan was denied party nomination, as he was considered as loyal to BNP reformists. Dropping of Dulu would benefit Mosharraf who hails from Mymensingh-5 (Muktagacha) and is a "guest candidate" in Mymensingh-4 constituency.
Mosharraf was elected in 2001 and 1996 on BNP ticket from Mymensingh-5 seat.
AL leaders and activists was very hopeful about the nomination of District AL President Principal Motiur Rahman from Mymensingh-4 constituency but at the fag end of the nomination drama, the senior most AL leader was dropped and Rawshan was given grand alliance ticket.
Talking to this correspondent AL supporters said the chances of regaining the seat would be higher if Principal Motiur Rahman was nominated by the Grand Alliance.