Jatiya Party names candidates for 287 JS seats, aims to contest in all seats after 2001 polls

Infographic: TBS

After over two decades and three consecutive national polls, the Jatiya Party has fielded candidates for over 200 seats to contest nationwide in the upcoming 12th parliamentary election, announcing names for 287 seats on Monday.

The party expresses its ambition to field candidates in all 300 seats but acknowledge that in the end, there may be 2 to 1 seats left vacant.

Mujibul Haque Chunnu, secretary general of the party, main opposition in the 11th parliament, announced the names of candidates at the party chairperson's office in the capital's Banani area on Monday.

The party has kept the Mymensingh-4 seat for chief patron Raushan Ershad, wife of party founder Hussain Muhammad Ershad, who did not collect any nomination papers amid a dispute with Chairman GM Quader, brother of Ershad.

Besides, it did not get any candidate seeking nomination for Gopalganj-3 seat, which is currently held by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said the secretary general.

"Our chief patron has not yet taken her nomination form. This seat has been kept vacant in her honour," said Chunnu.

"We could not make a decision regarding the remaining seats as there were multiple candidates. We will list the rest within one or two days. Maybe one or two more seats will be kept vacant," he said.

Out of the 22 Jatiya Party MPs elected in the 11th national polls, three were not nominated this time.

HM Shahriar Asif has been selected as the candidate in place of Moshiur Rahman Ranga for Rangpur-1, party chairman GM Quader has been chosen to replace Saad Ershad, son of Ershad, in Rangpur-3, and Md Mashrekul Azam Robi has been nominated to take the place of Rustam Ali for the Pirojpur-3 constituency.

The party chairman GM Quader has also been nominated from Dhaka-17 and his wife Sharifa Quader has been nominated for Dhaka-18 constituency. Meanwhile, Mujibul Haque Chunnu has been nominated for Kishoreganj-3 constituency.

The party's general secretary said among the candidates, there are 7-8 women. Additionally, the party has fielded two candidates in each of the 10 constituencies, namely Dinajpur-2, Sherpur-1, Dhaka-11, and Dhaka-14.

Excluding Raushan Ershad's seat, candidates have yet to be announced for 12 constituencies, which include Sherpur-2, Faridpur-2, Faridpur-4, Gopalganj-3, Shariatpur-1, Sunamganj-2, Sunamganj-3, Moulvibazar-4, Habiganj-2, Lakshmipur-4, Chattogram-10, and Chattogram-11.

In 2001, the party contested 281 constituencies and secured victory in 14 parliamentary seats. In the subsequent three elections, it contested 49 seats in 2008, 86 in 2014, and 178 in 2018.

Raushan group awaits PM meeting for final decision

Since the announcement of the election schedule, tensions have risen between the supporters of Jatiya Party's chairman GM Quader and chief patron Raushan Ershad. Two letters were sent to the Election Commission, each expressing the respective leader's position on the election.

Despite numerous meetings between the two factions, no consensus has been reached regarding the election.

Supporters of Raushan Ershad say they are anticipating a meeting with the prime minister to make a final decision.

Golam Moshi, political secretary of Raushan Ershad, told The Business Standard, "We, including Raushan Ershad, are eagerly awaiting a meeting with the prime minister. Our decision-making hinges on this crucial meeting. Our chief patron has also engaged in discussions with GM Quader, and we sense a gradual thaw in relations. Hopefully, a viable solution will emerge."

Regarding the announcement of the candidates, Moshi said it is not something that cannot be changed. Changes can be implemented through discussion and mutual agreement between both groups.

He additionally stated that GM Quader is steering the party towards a split.

Fight with Awami League heavyweights

Since the ninth parliamentary election in 2008, the Awami League, 14 other parties, and the Jatiya Party have participated in the polls through consensus. However, this time, Mujibul Haque Chunnu expressed his disagreement with forming any coalition or aligning with any party.

In the upcoming election, several Jatiya Party candidates will face heavyweight opponents from the ruling party in various constituencies.

For instance, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader will contest in the Noakhali-5 constituency, where Barrister Khawaja Tanveer Ahmed is the candidate of the Jatiya Party. He is a member of the central committee of the party.

In Dhaka-1 constituency, Jatiya Party co-chairman Salma Islam will compete with, the Awami League candidate Salman F Rahman.

The party's senior joint general secretary Sirajus Saifin Saif will fight cricketer Awami League candidate cricketer Shakib Al Hasan for the Magura-1 constituency.

Former Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation Sayeed Khokon has secured the Awami League's nomination for the Dhaka-6 seat, where Kazi Firoz Rashid, the co-chairman of the Jatiya Party, will be his contender.

In the Dhaka-7 constituency, Mohammad Solaiman Selim, the son of Haji Selim, will be running, while Tarek A Adel, vice chairman of the Jatiya Party, will be competing for the same seat.

Jahangir Kabir Nanak, member of the Awami League presidium, is set to compete for the Dhaka-13 seat, while Shafiqul Islam Sentu will represent the Jatiya Party in that constituency.

The Joint General Secretary of the Awami League, AFM Bahauddin Nashim, has been nominated by his party for the Dhaka-8 Constituency, with Zubair Alam Khan Rabin nominated by the Jatiya Party for the same seat.

Senior Awami League leader Amir Hossain Amu will contest in the Jhalakathi-2 seat with the boat symbol, while Anwar Hossain Howladar has been nominated by the Jatiya Party for the same constituency.

Tofail Ahmed, another veteran leader of the Awami League, will vie for the Bhola-1 seat, and Shah Jahan Mia will carry the plough symbol in that constituency.