Hartal for AL, BNP ticketsin Barisal, Mymensing

Advocate Joynul Abedin enforced hartal in Hizla and Muladi upazila towns for BNP ticket. Hartal continued there since Tuesday evening.

Our Mymensingh Correspondent reports: Former Jatiya Party leader Ali Asgar who joined BNP recently has enforced hartal in Haluaghat upazila protesting nomination of BNP assistant office secretary Syed Emran Saleh Prince in Mymensingh-1 (Haluaghat upazila) constituency.

Faruq Ahmed Khan, a rebel leader of Awami League (AL) also enforced hartal in the upazila town protesting denial of party nomination. Former AL lawmaker Advocate Promod Mankin won the party ticket in the constituency.

Earlier, Ali Asgar called a dawn-to-dusk hartal at a rally held at Old Bus Stand Monday evening but the hartal was observed in the frontier upazila peacefully for half day.

All shops and business establishments were closed during hartal hours. No vehicles plied during the period.

While addressing a rally during hartal, Asgar said he would resist Prince at all places in the upazila. The BNP leader announced to stage continued sit-in demonstration in front of the Upazila BNP office until the nomination is given in his favour.

Earlier, he made a big showdown in the constituency.

However, since his joining BNP, local party leaders including ex-BNP MP Afzal H Khan and Emran Saleh Prince did not receive him cordially.

Rebel AL leader Faruq Ahmed organised a press conference at Mymensingh Press Club yesterday afternoon. He brought various allegations againt Promod Mankin. The allegation included misappropriation of government fund and his alleged link with illegal arms dealer Sushil Drang. He announced agitation programmes including protest rally at every union and upazila headquarters and a grand rally in Haluaghat court area on January 3.

Meanwhile, AL leaders and activists and its front organisations held protest rallies for nomination of district AL president Principal Motiur Rahman in Mymensingh-4, (Sadar upazila) constituency.