Rajshahi-1 Constituency: BNP, Jamaat in strong position

Mohibbul Arefin, Rajshahi :

The polling field for the 6 parliamentary constituencies of Rajshahi is bustling with excitement for the upcoming 13th National Parliament elections. The main competitors in each constituency are BNP and Jamaat.

However, BNP is in a state of turmoil in the Rajshahi-1 constituency due to party infighting. There have been incidents of clashes and violence within the BNP, including protests and rallies demanding a change of candidate. There is even a fear of a ‘rebel candidate’. And on this occasion, Jamaat has made a strong position for itself in the constituency.

Rajshahi-1 constituency consists of Godagari and Tanor upazilas of Rajshahi district. In the 12 elections held after independence, BNP and AL candidates won 10 times each, while Jamaat-e-Islami candidates won once and an independent candidate won once. And in the controversial elections of 2014, 2018, 2024, Awami League candidates won.

The total number of voters here in 2018 was 383,352, in 2023-24 it was 440,218 and this time the number of voters has increased to 468,362. This is an increase of 28,144 voters compared to the previous year. As a result, the number of new voters is more than 28,000. The information received related to the election has revealed that these new and young voters will have a considerable impact in the next election.

For the 13th National Parliament election, BNP announced the names of candidates for 34 out of 39 seats in Rajshahi division from the center on November 3. According to the announcement, the new candidate of BNP in Rajshahi-1 constituency is Adviser to the Chairperson and District BNP member Major General (Retd.) Sharif Uddin.
He is the brother of former Posts and Telecommunications Minister late Barrister Aminul Haque. Barrister Aminul Haque was elected MP in 1991-96 and 2001. There were several other leaders seeking nomination here. Among them were Supreme Court lawyer Mahfuzur Rahman Milon, Godagari Upazila BNP member Advocate Sultanul Islam Tarek, former district BNP vice-president Sajedur Rahman Marconi, Zia Parishad leader Principal Abdullah Al Mahmud Biplob and engineer KM Jewel.
On the other hand, in 1986, the current Naib-e-Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami, Professor Mujibur Rahman, won this seat. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has declared him as the party’s candidate in the upcoming thirteenth election. In the 1991 national election, he was defeated by a margin of only 25,917 votes. While the winning candidate Aminul Haque got 61,975.
However, the conflict between Sharif Uddin and Tarek’s followers is the most obvious. There were several clashes and counter-cases between their supporters. In addition, after the nomination was announced, leaders and activists in some unions protested against Sharif Uddin. They alleged that he was not known in the area and had not been in field politics for a long time. By excluding local qualified leaders, ‘a candidate has been imposed by sitting in Dhaka’. A union BNP leader said in an angry voice, “Suddenly bringing in people from Dhaka and excluding those who faced cases and attacks during the party’s difficult times means insulting the grassroots.” Meanwhile, the election campaign has been put on hold due to Begum Khaleda Zia’s illness.