M M Jasim :
There are many cases where brothers are contesting against brothers in the upcoming Union Parished polls, but it is the only example where mother is fighting against her son.
Even the mother reportedly forced her son to stay outside the polls area – Ranipara Union in Kachua upazila of Bagerhat district.
Mother Taslima Begum and her son Mehedi Hasan Babu are in the field to contest the Ranipara Union Parished elections against each other.
It is now talk of the town and creates curiosity among the voters of Ranipara Union.
Mehedi Hasan Babu told journalists that his father S M Mahfuzur Rahman, an incumbent chairman of Kachua upazila, has been allegedly oppressing the people of the upazila and is involved in many irregularities.
“My father was the Chairman of Ranipara union. After getting the upazila charge as chairman he replaced my mother in the union to continue his dishonest activities. So I am competing not against my mother,
but against my father’s oppressive activities in the area,” Babu said. He also alleged that his parents forced him to leave the area. But Taslima blamed it on Babu’s ‘mental problem’ claiming that he was ‘not in his right state of mind’ as he stood for election against her. Fully confident about her victory, she revealed that they have no contact with their son after he left their house. Mahfuzur Rahman, however, accused Babu of ‘bringing shame’ upon their family. Branding his son as rebellious and drug addict, he said Babu has leaned towards BNP-Jamaat politics and brought shame upon the family by marrying a BNP leader’s daughter.
Taslima Begum is contesting the polls for the chairman post with ruling Awami League’s boat symbol, while her son, Mehedi Hasan Babu, is running as an independent candidate with the election symbol of pineapple.
Mahfuzur Rahman has already disowned his son publicly for not conforming to his family’s wishes. Babu is now campaigning from outside the district, while his mother is promoting her campaign from door to-door.
A local Awami League leader, Mahfuzur Rahman, was the Chairman of Ranipara union from 1998 to 2008. In 2011, he was elected chairman of Kachua Upazila Parishad. Later, his wife Taslima Begum was elected Ranipara UP Chairman in his place. According to voters, although Taslima is well ahead of her son in terms of popularity, her son is not lagging behind either.
Seema Rani Shil, a voter from Khalishakhali village, said although it is a mother-son contest, she will cast her vote only after careful consideration.
Bikash Dutta, another voter from Narendrapur village, voiced his dilemma in choosing candidate-Taslima Begum or Mehedi Hasan Babu! Ranipara UP has some 13,678 voters in its 19 villages. Ranipara UP returning officer and local fisheries official Kabir Hossain said neither of the candidates brought any complaint against each other as of Monday.
