Many Awami League (AL) and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) aspirants are campaigning and lobbying for party tickets in the Chattogram-6 constituency ahead of the next general elections.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal recently said his office would announce the schedule of the upcoming 12th general elections in October this year.
The election will be held in the last week of December this year or first week of January next.
However, leaders of other parties, including the opposition Jatiya Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) have not launched campaigns yet in the in the Chattogram-6 constituency.
But both the local AL and BNP have been divided into several groups over nominations.
On the other side, BNP aspirants are staging demonstrations, rallies and meetings as part their ‘one-point’ movement with the goal to remove AL from the power to hold the upcoming national elections under a neutral government Although Jamaat-e-Islami was disqualified from contesting elections, its high command asked the local leaders and workers to work together in order to strengthen the party’s organisational activities in the constituency, according to locals.
If the party is allowed to join polls, it will field candidate to contest the next general elections.
ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury of AL has been representing in the National Parliament as a lawmaker from Chittagong-6 constituency since 2014. The constituency encompasses Raozan Upazila.
The constituency was created for the first general elections in newly independent Bangladesh, held in 1973.
Ahead of the 2008 general election, the Election Commission redrew constituency boundaries to reflect population changes revealed by the 2001 Bangladesh census.
The 2008 redistricting altered the boundaries of the constituency.
Ahead of the 2014 general election, the Election Commission renumbered the seat for Chattagram 6 (Sandwip) to Chattagram -3, bumping up by one the suffix of the former constituency of that name and higher numbered constituencies in the district.
Thus Chattagram 6 covers the area previously covered by Chittagong-5.
Previously Chattagram -6 encompassed Rangunia Upazila and one union parishad of Boalkhali Upazila: Sreepur Kharandwip.
AL candidate Mohammad Khaled contested the first general elections in newly independent Bangladesh, held in 1973 and became the Member of Parliament (MP).
Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, who was hanged 2015 for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War, contested the general elections held in I979 as a candidate of Bangladesh Muslim League from the Chattogram-6 and Chattogram-7.
He won the both seats and left the Chattogram-6.
Later, his (Salauddin Quader Chowdhury) brother Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury contested the by-poll in the same year but he failed to win the seat while BNP candidate former minister AM Zahiruddin Khan became the lawmaker from the Chattogram-6 constituency.
Later Salauddin Quader Chowdhury) contested the general elections held in 1986 as a candidate of Jatiya Party and won the seat.
The then student leader Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu joined Jatiya Party and contested the national polls held in 1988 as a candidate of the party.
Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu became the lawmaker from the constituency.
But, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury left the Jatiya Party and got a ticket from BNP to contest the general elections held in 1991 and regained the seat.
BNP candidate Golam Akbar Khandaker contested the February general elections held in 1996 and became the lawmaker while Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury, who joined the BNP and contested the June general elections held in the same year and won seat.
But, ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury of AL contested the general elections held in 2001 and became the MP from this constituency. So, AL regained this seat after 22 years.
Incumbent Information and Broadcasting Minister and AL Joint General Secretary Muhammad Hasan Mahmud contested the general elections held in 2008 and won the seat.
ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury was elected unopposed in the 2014 general election after opposition parties withdrew their candidacies in a boycott of the election.
Besides, he (ABM Fazle Karim) also contested the general elections held in 2018 and became lawmaker again.
Immediate after assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15 in 1975, the family members of Salauddin Quader Chowdhury had unleashed a reign of terror by killing and torturing opposition leaders and activists and nurturing terrorists and militants like in the Liberation War.
The family also unleashed a reign of unchallengeable dominance at Raozan and Rangunia upazilas.
Salauddin Quader Chowdhury was a terrifying young goon in Chattogram who led his gang along with the Pakistani forces into Hindu populated villages and killed at will.
He also (Salauddin) also openly mocked the Liberation War and its martyrs and gloated over his role as a Razakar.
But, he became adviser of parliamentary affairs of Khaleda Zia in her 2001-06 government
After the execution of Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, the fear that always grips people, has disappeared from the constituency.
But, during the current AL government, people of all religions and castes of the constituency are practicing their religions freely being inspired by the non-communal spirit.
The local AL leaders are determined to establish the area as a developed and peaceful constituency in the country by protecting the prevailing communal harmony in there.
The incumbent MP and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railway Affairs Ministry ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury said Raozan is a shining example of communal harmony.
“Our only identity here is that we are from Raozan. We are working here to keep this bond of harmony intact,” he told journalists.
Fazle Karim added BNP wants to create anarchy across the constituency centering the upcoming general elections but no force will be able to thwart the election process.
“We have no more time to look backward but we have to look forward as the present Bangladesh has been marching forward vibrantly,” he added.
“As per the directive of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, I have been working relentlessly for transforming my constituency into a developed one. Raozan has turned around in the last 14 years and six months. We people here are advancing and will march ahead. Therefore, I believe, like in the past, the party (AL) high command will nominate me as MP candidate to contest the next general elections. And I will win again Inshallah” Fazle Karim said.
Besides, Mahfuzul Haider Chowdhury Roton, former General Secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League central committee, also wants to contest the next general elections as AL candidate from the constituency.
“I have been doing politics since my student life. I always travel throughout my constituency. I had sought party nomination in the last general elections. Therefore, I will also seek party nomination this time. If the party evaluates me I’m sure I will get nomination,” he said.
Roton added people will again vote for the “Boat” and bring Awami League to power and thus give another scope to serve people you.
“Therefore, whoever gets party nomination, we AL leaders and activists will work in favour of “boat” the electoral symbol of AL, together,” he said.
On the other hand, Hummam Quader Chowdhury and Farhat Quader Chowdhury, son and wife of executed war criminal Salauddin Quader Chowdhury respectively also want to contest the next general elections.
Apart from Salauddin Quader Chowdhury’s son and wife, his (Salauddin Quader Chowdhury) brother Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury now in Dubai also wants to contest the next general elections from this constituency.
Besides, former BNP lawmaker Golam Akbar Khandaker will also seek party nomination to contest the next general elections.
Campaign activities for AL candidates in the constituency are energetic but supporters of non-ruling party candidates, particularly the BNP, Jatiya Party and Jamaat was hardly seen electioneering.
There was an uneasy calm and many kept themselves carefully away from campaigning or even discussing the next general elections.
A cross section of locals said those who support the BNP or the Jamaat-e-Islami have either kept themselves away from campaigning or have started electioneering for the AL to “avert police trouble or harassment”, according to local people.
Though the two major political camps remain rigid on their stances over the contentious issue of polls-time administration, they are making preparations for the 12th parliamentary election, according locals.
This time AL will try hard to retain the constituency while BNP to regain.
However, BNP is internally preparing for the election in the constituency.
BNP is a big political party and its leaders also want to take part in the polls, local BNP leaders and activists said.
Therefore, nomination seekers of AL and BNP have already started passing their hectic days through polls campaigning in the constituency
They have started showdown through meetings and mass contacts.
The nomination seekers have set up big banners and posters at the important points in the constituency, intersections of highways and road, and on boundary walls.
Containing the images of the candidates of various colourful posters have already been pasted across the constituency.
Candidates are also travelling different parts of the constituency as part of their hectic electioneering.
They are also using the photographs of their respective political parties’ chiefs in their posters.
Although BNP leaders are maintaining silence policy in the constituency, the political landscape of the constituency-6 is going to heat up soon as the nomination seekers of the next general elections have started kicking off their campaigns.
