Anisul Islam’s candidacy not restored

Staff Reporter :

The cancelled candidacy of Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud, a parliamentary aspirant from Chattogram-5, was not reinstated even after the appeal hearing, as the signature on his party nomination paper did not match the signature on the nomination form sent by the Election Commission.

The Election Commission on Thursday rejected Anisul Islam Mahmud’s appeal seeking restoration of his candidacy at the appeal hearing.

Earlier, on 3 January, during the scrutiny of nomination papers at the Divisional Commissioner’s office, the Returning Officer and Chattogram Divisional Commissioner Dr. Md. Ziauddin cancelled Anisul Islam Mahmud’s nomination. After the cancellation, Anisul Islam Mahmud—Chairman of a faction of the Jatiya Party and President of the Jatiya Ganatantrik Front—expressed anger and voiced doubts over the prospects of a free and fair election.

At a press conference, he alleged that his proposer and supporter were abducted during the nomination scrutiny process in Chattogram. Following the cancellation of his nomination, Anisul Islam Mahmud made remarks implicating BNP leaders and activists, which drew protests from the Chattogram Metropolitan BNP as well as BNP leaders of Hathazari Upazila and Municipality.

In a separate development, Azizul Haque, a friend of Chittagong University student Hridoy Chandra Tura—who was killed by gunfire during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement—filed a murder case against Anisul Islam Mahmud at Chandgaon Police Station.
Anisul Islam Mahmud had submitted his nomination paper to contest the Chattogram-5 constituency in the 13th National Parliamentary Election scheduled for 12 February.

Following a split in the Jatiya Party, a faction led by him broke away. Recently, together with another faction of the Jatiya Party led by Anwar Hossain Manju (Jatiya Party-JP) and several other parties, they formed the Jatiya Ganatantrik Front. On the Election Commission’s website, Anisul Islam Mahmud is listed as a candidate of Jatiya Party-JP.

At the appeal hearing on Thursday (15 January), the Election Commission restored the candidacies of Mohammad Amjad Hossain of Islami Andolon Bangladesh in Chattogram-3, independent candidate Mizanul Haque Chowdhury in Chattogram-14, and Ashraf bin Yaqub of Khelafat Majlis in Chattogram-2.

Meanwhile, in a memorandum submitted on 30 December to the Chattogram Divisional Commissioner and Returning Officer on behalf of the July Fighters, Anisul Islam Mahmud was accused of involvement in the July massacre, named as an accused in multiple murder cases, and described as an ally of autocracy. The memorandum demanded the cancellation of his nomination and his arrest.