JP activists campaigning against AL
Jatiya Party local leaders and workers are working against Awami League backed mayoral candidate Ajmat Ullah Khan in the Gazipur city corporation poll, in retaliation for the JP candidacy withdrawal.
“We have directed all of our leaders and activists in Gazipur not to vote for Awami League backed candidates,” Gazipur district unit JP general secretary Nurul Islam told The Daily Star yesterday. “We cannot openly join the electoral campaign against the Awami League backed candidate, as directed by our party central high command, but we still want to see him fail.”
Explaining how JP had to quit the electoral race in Gazipur after preparing for around a year, he said, “We took an anti-Awami League stance because Awami League has deprived, neglected and undermined JP leaders and activists in Gazipur during the whole four and a half years of its tenure.”
JP Gazipur district unit president Brig Gen (retd) Kazi Mahmud Hassan was set to contest the mayoral polls on July 6. But he withdrew his candidacy on June 17.
“Withdrawal of my candidacy, on instructions of the party's high ups, created anger among our grassroots level leaders and activists. Many of our activists are joining hands with BNP backed mayoral candidate MA Mannan,” Kazi told The Daily Star last evening.
He claimed that around 20 to 30 percent of the total voters, who migrated from the north, were supporters of JP Chairman HM Ershad. “Besides JP has good organisational strength in Gazipur.”
Gazipur Sadar upazila AL general secretary Ataullah Mandal, however, denied the statistics and said, “If any Jatiya Party leader claims that they are not with us, it is their personal opinion, not an organisational decision. It will not affect the election result in our favour.”
Meanwhile, AL senior leader Tofail Ahmed and central leader Ahmed Hossain campaigned for Ajmat Ullah Khan. AL rebel candidate Jahangir Alam, who pulled out from the electoral race, also advocated for Ajmat Ullah.
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