BARISHAL — Jamaat-e-Islami is set to cede its most important seats in Barishal to alliance partners in the 13th parliamentary election, including Barishal-5 (Sadar), considered the party’s stronghold and on its A-grade list of winnable seats.
Barishal-3 (Babuganj-Muladi) was also on the party’s A-grade list. Jamaat had earlier given up that seat to AB Party general secretary Barrister Asaduzzaman Fuad, so its nominated candidate for the seat, Barishal city party chief Zahir Uddin Babar, did not submit a nomination paper.
Barishal-4 (Hizla-Mehendiganj) and Barishal-6 (Bakerganj) are also on Jamaat’s A-grade list. Who will contest those two seats has not yet been confirmed.
Mufti Syed Muhammad Faizul Karim, the deputy chief of Islami Andolan Bangladesh, has filed nomination papers for Barishal-5 and Barishal-6. Talks with Jamaat over Barishal-5 are underway. If his nomination there is confirmed, he may cede Barishal-6 to Jamaat, a reliable source said.
Sources said Jamaat’s central assistant secretary general Muayazzam Hossain Helal had been the party’s candidate for the sadar seat and had been campaigning there for a long time.
A Jamaat source said the party had thousands of active workers and supporters in every ward and neighborhood of Barishal city, and that an election center-protection committee had already been formed. But it was understood that the seat would have to be ceded to Islami Andolan Bangladesh because of the alliance, the source said.
Word that the sadar seat was being handed over to Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s nominee Mufti Syed Muhammad Faizul Karim began circulating in the city from Sunday morning.
Sources familiar with the matter said negotiations between Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolan over the sadar seat were in the final stages. There were indications that Jamaat could withdraw its candidate before Jan. 20, the deadline for withdrawing nomination papers.
As part of the understanding, Jamaat had recently reconstituted its parliamentary election management committee, naming assistant secretary general Maulana ATM Masum as convener and assistant secretary general Maulana Abdul Halim as member secretary. Advocate Muayazzam Hossain Helal was included as one of the members.
Party sources said members of the parliamentary election management committee usually do not stand as candidates. On that basis, Jamaat-e-Islami may decide to withdraw its candidate in Barishal-5 in favor of Mufti Syed Muhammad Faizul Karim, who is running on the hand-fan symbol.
Zahir Uddin Muhammad Babar, the Barishal city Jamaat chief, told Amar Desh that many concessions had to be made in the interests of the alliance. “I have heard a party announcement on the matter may come. But I cannot say anything for certain yet,” he said.
The reconstitution of the parliamentary election management committee was confirmed in a Jan. 8 press release by Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair, head of Jamaat’s central media and publicity wing. As the deadline for withdrawing nomination papers is Jan. 20, a final decision on the matter is expected soon.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report