Awami League on Tuesday decided not to keep local MPs in its selection board for picking candidates for the upcoming Union Parishad election.
“We’ve brought a little bit of change in the selection board for the Union Parishad election… it’ll be unlike that of Pourashava election…local MPs won’t be there in the selection board this time,” AL joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif told reporters after a meeting of Local Government Selection Board.
AL President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting held at her official residence Ganobhaban.
In the selection process of the Pourasava election, Hanif said, the presidents and general secretaries of respective districts, upazila, pourashava Awami League and local MPs were the selection board members.
But this time, only the presidents and general secretaries of the respective districts, upazilas and union parishads will select the candidates for the party, Hanif said.
He said the section board will nominate a single candidate and send it to the centre. “This directive has been sent to each selection board,” he said.
This is the first time in the country that UP elections will be held with party symbols.
Responding to a question, the AL joint secretary said there is no scope for breaking the party rules. “If the aspirants have loyalty to the party, then they must work for the party nominated single candidate.”
He also said those who breached the party discipline during the Pourashava election has been punished already. “The MPs who had supported the rebel candidates have been served show cause notices, too. Enquiries are going on against them and there’s a decision to take punitive measurers against them as well,” Hanif said.
AL leaders Jahangir Kabir Nanok, Dr Dipu Moni, Dr Abdur Razzaque, Faruk Khan and Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap were present during the briefing.
