Names of nominated candidates to be declared todayJatiya Party yet to resolve Raushan-Quader feuds

Jatiya Party leaders are tensed about the party’s performance in the upcoming 12th parliamentary polls as the feuds between its two top leaders – Chairman GM Quader and chief patron Raushan Ershad – have not yet been settled down.

The party’s Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu, however, claimed that there has been no internal conflict in the party.

Meanwhile, GM Quader held a meeting with Raushan Ershad at the latter’s Gulshan residence on Saturday night and discussed the seat sharing for the party candidates for the 7 January elections, but they couldn’t agree each other and the meeting was closed without any solution, party insiders said.

A Jatiya Party presidium member loyal to Raushan Ershad on condition of anonymity said, “In the meeting between the party chairman and its chief patron, the conflict was not resolved over the seat sharing issue.”

“Raushan wants nomination for 10-15 of her fellows including former secretary general Moshiur Rahman Ranga and former presidium member Kazi Mamunur Rashid, who have been expelled from the party, but GM Quader did not agree to give nomination to them,” he said.

Moreover, GM Quader told her that he wants to contest in the Rangpur-3 constituency where Raushan’s son Rahgir Al Mahee (Saad Ershad) is the incumbent lawmaker and wants to contest in the upcoming election from this constituency as well, the Jatiya Party leader added.

GM Quader, meanwhile, has bought nomination forms to contest the next parliamentary polls from two constituencies – Rangpur-3 and Dhaka-17 – while his wife Sherifa Quader has collected the party nomination form to contest in the Dhaka-18 constituency, party sources confirmed.  

Raushan Ershad’s political secretary Golam Mosih said that the party’s chief patron would contest from the Mymensingh-4 constituency, while Saad Ershad from Rangpur-3.

“We have around 100 candidates in our side to contest in the upcoming national election. Let’s see from where we contest,” he said.

He also said the issue of nominating candidates was not resolved at the meeting between GM Quader and Raushan on Saturday night.

“We have not collected nomination forms yet, but I am hopeful that the issue will be settled within one or two days,” he continued.

Golam Mosih further said that Raushan Ershad is likely to meet soon Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to discuss various issues with regard to the imminent 12th parliamentary polls.

Several leaders of the Jatiya Party said they are worried over the party future as it might not be able to secure all the seats it expects to win in the upcoming national election.

Although the party has the scope to play a vital role ahead of the upcoming national election, it is failing to do so due to the infighting, they said.

The party lags behind due mainly to its longstanding internal crisis, a presidium member of the Jatiya Party said wishing not to be named.  

Some 1,752 aspirants have collected the party nomination forms to contest in the 7 January general election. The party is scheduled to declare names of the nominated candidates today (Monday).

According to sources, the party may declare its candidates without disclosing the names of candidates of two constituencies so that Raushan Ershad and Saad Ershad could contest.

“Hopefully, after selecting the candidates, we will be able to announce the list of candidates on Monday afternoon. Our nomination forms have been sold for about three hundred seats,” Mujibul Haque Chunnu told reporters on Sunday.