Tainted figures on AL ticket
A number of controversial lawmakers and leaders will run for the 10th general election on the Awami League ticket.
According to the list of nominees unveiled yesterday, Shamim Osman will contest the polls from Narayanganj-4, the parliamentary seat of AL MP and renowned film actress Sarah Begum Kabori.
Considered by many a godfather, Shamim fled to India and then to Canada after his party's polls debacle in 2001.
He returned in December 2006 but left again the day before the 1/11 changeover the next year. He was abroad until April 2009.
The ex-MP was the AL-backed candidate in 2011 Narayanganj mayoral polls that he lost to his party colleague Selina Hayat Ivy by a huge margin.
Lately, his family's name came up for suspected involvement in the murder of Twaki, 17, son of Rafiur Rabbi, the convener of Narayanganj Gonojagoron Mancha.
Anwarul Azim Anar, who was wanted by the Interpol in 2008 for crimes involving weapons and explosives, will run from Jhenidah-4.
As many as nine cases were filed against him in Jhenidah and Chuadanga, but all those were withdrawn after the AL took office in 2009.
The party dropped 48 incumbent MPs, including former communications minister Syed Abul Hossain, who was at the centre of Padma bridge scandal. Their seats got new faces.
Some senior and mid-ranking leaders, who were kept out of the 2008 race due to conviction, graft charges and links to organised crimes, are happy this time.
Among them are Mohammad Nasim, Kazi Zafrullah, Abul Hasnat Abdullah, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Mostafa Rashidi Suja, Bahauddin Nasim and Pankaj Debnath.
Maya could not contest the ninth parliamentary election in 2008 as he was convicted of corruption during the immediate past caretaker rule. When he was a state minister in 1996-2001, his and his son's activities drew huge flak.
For Mohammad Nasim, his son Tanvir Shakil Joy, elected MP from Sirajganj-1, is quitting the race.
Talukder Abdul Khaleq and Shawkat Hossain Hiron -- AL favourites who were defeated in Khulna and Barisal mayoral polls in June -- won the party ticket.
The AL also nominated former home minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir and foreign minister Dipu Moni, who have been left out of Hasina's election-time cabinet.
Unlike them, Abdul Latif Biswas, former fisheries and livestock minister; Enamul Haq Mostafa Shahid, ex-social welfare minister; Mostafa Faruque Mohammad, ex-ICT minister; Ahad Ali Sarker, ex-state minister for youth and sports, and Brig Gen (retd) Enamul Haq, state minister for power and energy, failed to win the nomination.
Planning Minister AK Khandker has not sought the party ticket.
The AL also did not nominate its Whip Sheikh Abdul Wahab of Jessore and controversial lawmakers Ghyas Uddin Ahmed of Mymensingh and Mustak Ahmed Ruhi of Netrakona.
Dr Md Enamur Rahman, chairman of Enam Medical College and Hospital, has got the party nod in place of MP Murad Jong for Dhaka-19 (Savar) constituency.
The party named candidates for 297 out of 300 seats. It did not pick any for Dhaka-17, Dhaka-8 and Kustia-2, the parliamentary seats of Jatiya Party Chairman Ershad, Workers Party chief Rashed Khan Menon and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal chief Hasanul Haq Inu.
It has also decided not to field “strong candidates” in the constituencies considered Jatiya Party bastions.
AL chief Sheikh Hasina will contest from Rangpur-6 and Gopalganj-3. She ran from three constituencies in the last polls.
LAWMAKERS, LAWBREAKERS
Abdur Rahman Bodi was elected MP in 2008 polls from Cox's Bazar-4. During the Teknaf upazila parishad election on January 22, 2009, he stormed a polling centre and beat up three assistant presiding officers. In May, he manhandled rights activist Rakhal Mitra.
Again in July 2011, Bodi assaulted a local teacher who protested his move to grab part of the land belonging to a school.
His colleague in parliament, Golam Faruk Khandaker Prince of Pabna-5 faced off with the district administration in September 2010 when his demand for recruiting his men in government service was not met.
Cadres loyal to him attacked the administration officials, including a female magistrate, during the recruitment exams.
AL lawmaker Nurunnabi Chowdhury Shaon was sued over the killing of party leader Ibrahim Ahmed in the capital in August 2010.
Kamal Ahmed Majumder, AL MP of Dhaka-15, assaulted a woman television journalist at Monipur High School and College in 2012.
The journalist had sought the lawmaker's comment on the school authorities' decision to charge extra admission fees. Kamal is the chairman of the school's managing committee.
He also earned a bad name during the AL rule in 1996-2001.
AL lawmaker Ilias Uddin Mollah of Dhaka-16 assaulted an on-duty policeman on June 30, 2010.
Another MP, Sheikh Afil Uddin of Jessore, beat up the officer-in-charge of a police station in August 2010.
Bodi, Prince, Shaon, Kamal, Ilias and Afil -- they all will contest the next national polls as AL candidates.
Before making public the list at Sheikh Hasina's Dhanmondi office, AL General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said the party finalised its candidates based on grassroots opinion gathered over the last one year.
After the announcement, he distributed nomination letters to the candidates starting with Tofail Ahmed and Matia Chowdhury.
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