Rift between AL, rebel candidates intensifies

The rift between the ruling Awami League candidate and a rebel candidate has become visible in Sunamganj, ahead of the Zilla Parishad election, to be held tomorrow.

As the preparations for the polls are all in place, the conflict between them has become more intense.

The ruling party has nominated Advocate Khayrul Kabir Rumen, vice president of the district's AL unit and former public prosecutor of Sunamganj court, while his opponent is Nurul Huda Mukut, senior vice president of the unit and incumbent chairman of Sunamganj Zilla Parishad.

On September 26, the district AL suspended Mukut from his post on the grounds of breaking party discipline, after he submitted his nomination as a rebel candidate.

Rumen's brother Barrister Anamul Kabir Emon is the general secretary of the district AL unit and former administrator of the Zilla Parishad.

On October 1, Mukut's wife Husna Huda, general secretary of the Sunamganj  unit of Awami Mahila League, was show-caused by the party for taking part in the election campaign for her husband.

On October 2, Mukut filed written complaints to the returning officer, alleging that two AL lawmakers were influencing voters on behalf of his opponent.

Meanwhile, last Wednesday, a petition was filed with the High Court on behalf of Rumen, stating that Mukut hid information about many of his properties in the affidavit submitted along with the nomination paper.

About the electoral environment, Rumen said, "The environment is overall good, but the rebel candidate is spending money to buy out  voters. He is also intimidating them and acting like a goon."

"He is misusing his position as the chairman... I have verbally informed about his activities to the returning officer," he said.

On the other hand, Mukut said, "He [Rumen] is being strongly backed by AL lawmakers. They are also confusing the voters by saying that AL will eventually know who will vote for whom and will take actions accordingly."

"I have been the district AL general secretary for 18 years, including from 2001 to 2006. Rumen and his brother Emon became AL leaders during its good days, yet the party chose wrongly again. I will prove again that the decision to nominate him is wrong as I did in 2016," he said.

Notably, in the 2016 Zilla Parishad election, Mukut won the polls as a rebel candidate by defeating Rumen's brother Emon.

Last Thursday, a meeting, presided over by Jahangir Hossain, returning officer of the polls and deputy commissioner of Sunamganj, alerted candidates not to create chaos in the polling centres.

In the polls, 1,229 voters are going to cast their votes at 12 centres.