Seven BNP men vie for ticket

Shahjahan Khan & Golam Mostafa

In 2001 election, BNP's Shahjahan Khan was defeated by Awami League candidate former state minister for textile AKM Jahagir Hossain. Jahangir got 75,138 votes and Shahjahan got 62,310 votes.

Party sources claimed that BNP lost the seat due to non-cooperation by two other nomination aspirants.

Shahjahan Khan was elected from the constituency in the "controversial" election held on February 15, 1996.

The simmering discontent in party rank and file started long ago and the rift surfaced after BNP lost the seat in 2001. The rival functions observed party's founding anniversary on September 1 separately.

A section of the party led by Galachia upazila BNP president Shahjahan Khan organised a discussion meeting and brought procession in the upazila town to mark to the founding anniversary.

Other function led by upazila BNP secretary and former pourasabha chairman Abu Taleb Mia and joint finance secretary of Karisak Dal industrialist Golam Mostafa brought out a separate procession in the upazila town and held a street corner meeting.

Golam Mostafa is also a nomination aspirant in the coming election.

There are other aspirants also. They are Golam Mortuza, law secretary of central Tanti Dal Afzal Hossain, Shah Alam Bhuiyan and Syed Harun-or-Rashid.

All of them are engaged in mass contact in the constituency.

They are holding small rallies, casting aspersions on each other. The infighting has spread to grassroots level, frustrating workers, party sources said.

The rift widened during 2001 election as Shahjahan Khan was nominated again.

"The four party alliance will lose this seat (Patuakhali-3) to the opposition if Shahjahan Khan is nominated again because he has became unpopular for ill treatment with people and party men", Golam Mostafa said while talking to this correspondent.

Failing to get nomination in 2001, Golam Mostafa allegedly worked against the BNP candidate, who lost with a small margin of only 12,828 votes.

This correspondent talked to many local BNP leaders regarding the intra-party feud and pre-polls scenario. They include upazila BNP secretary Abu Taleb Mia, vice-president Abu Kalam Md. Esha, convenor of Galachipa Muktijodda Sangsad Nazrul Islam and Galachia town BNP president Ayejuddin Mia.

They said, industrialist Golam Mostafa is an honest and popular leader. Abu Taleb Mia, secretary of upazila BNP said, "We believe party highups will nominate Golam Mostafa from the area if they want to regain the seat."

"If Shahjahan gets nomination, most BNP leaders and workers in BNP vote banks in shoal area in Galachipa and Dashmina will not support him," he added.

When contacted Shahjahan Khan, president said, "I am still popular in my constituency. I have done many development works in the upazilas during the tenure of present government. Those who are criticising me are newcomers in the party and they do not have any base among grassroots level party workers," he claimed.

He called Golam Mostafa a 'seasonal bird,' who was not known to people earlier. "He (Golam Mostafa) is an outsider", he added.