bdnews24.com :
In the absence of candidate and party chief Hussein Muhammad Ershad, Jatiya Party activists are relying on the force of his name to press ahead with his election campaign in the Rangpur-3 constituency.
Meanwhile, Ershad’s main rival for the seat, Sheaf of Paddy candidate Rita Rahman has been canvassing the constituency door to door for votes.
Former President Ershad won four out of the last five election races for the seat since 1991. In his absence, his brother GM Quader won the seat in the 2001 elections.
In a constituency known as a ‘Plough’ stronghold, Rita, the convener of the newly-formed People Party of Bangladesh (PPB) aims to utilize the influence of her father, the late Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia, to reclaim the Rangpur-3 seat for the Sheaf of Paddy.
A founding member of the BNP, Jadu Mia was a senior minister in the government of military ruler Ziaur Rahman.
While Rita may be a new entrant in the election, her campaign is very organised, according to some voters in the area.
“I am your Jadu Mia’s daughter and the ‘paddy sheaf’ candidate. Vote for me,” said Rita while distributing leaflets among voters during her campaign.
Fifty six year-old Abu Hanif vowed to vote for Rita because of her father.
“I have been a paddy sheaf supporter since the time of Jadu Mia. I will not be swayed to vote for anyone else,’ Abu Hanif told bdnews24.com. Rita also had a message for young voters during her election campaign ahead of the Dec 30 elections.
“When you step forward, the country will be on the right track. You must come forward,” said Rita as she handed out leaflets among youths.
However, Rita Rahman’s candidacy was not universally accepted by local BNP activists, according to some locals.
BNP Rangpur Metropolitan President Mozaffar Hossain and Kawsar Zamam Babla were expecting to receive the nomination for the seat. Local BNP activists labelled Rita as an unwanted candidate when the party nominated her.
While the local leaders eventually reached an understanding with Rita, she hasn’t been able to bring everyone on board, said a local BNP leader.
However, Rita Rahman claims that the people of Rangpur will accept her due to their goodwill towards her father and will heed her call for change.
“The people I’m meeting are accepting me as one of their own. I went to a campaign rally on Sunday around 10 pm. Even at that time, the attendance of both men and women was eye catching,” she said
“I was surprised that so many people were waiting eagerly to see Jadu Mia’s daughter and to hear her speak.
Despite being a perennial MP for this constituency, Ershad failed to pay sufficient attention to this area, opined Rita.
“Ershad may claim to be one of the people of Rangpur but he originates from Kuchbihar. The people of Rangpur have gradually realised this. There was no shortage of employment in this area at one point but those days are long gone,” she said
“Ershad has represented this constituency in parliament for 30 years. What has he given back to Rangpur? It is in such a bad state now that people around the country look down on Rangpur. With my father’s ideals, I want to return the area to its previous state.”
Rita said that her supporters had also been receiving threats from local opposition activists.
“It may seem like the situation is good here because the opposition is ‘plough’. But the police harassment and threats from the opposition plaguing the rest of the country is happening here as well,”
While Ershad is in Singapore receiving medical treatment, his election campaign in Rangpur-3 is being conducted by Jatiya Party activists under the leadership of Rangpur City Mayor and Mahanagar Jatiya Party President Mostafizar Rahman Mostofa.
While Ershad’s posters and banners adorn the constituency’s streets, there has been a lack of communication on behalf of the ‘plough’ symbol, according to some locals.
Several voters in Chilmon said that representatives of the plough had not visited their area to seek votes.
“‘Paddy sheaf’ activists canvassed the area once but there still hasn’t been any news on the ‘plough’. Let’s see what they do,” said Faruk Mia, a tea-stall vendor in Chilmon.
In the absence of an Awami League or BNP candidate, Ershad remains the strongest candidate in the constituency but his margin of victory will be narrow, said Abdul Kader, a teacher at the Chilmon Government Primary School.
In the absence of candidate and party chief Hussein Muhammad Ershad, Jatiya Party activists are relying on the force of his name to press ahead with his election campaign in the Rangpur-3 constituency.
Meanwhile, Ershad’s main rival for the seat, Sheaf of Paddy candidate Rita Rahman has been canvassing the constituency door to door for votes.
Former President Ershad won four out of the last five election races for the seat since 1991. In his absence, his brother GM Quader won the seat in the 2001 elections.
In a constituency known as a ‘Plough’ stronghold, Rita, the convener of the newly-formed People Party of Bangladesh (PPB) aims to utilize the influence of her father, the late Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia, to reclaim the Rangpur-3 seat for the Sheaf of Paddy.
A founding member of the BNP, Jadu Mia was a senior minister in the government of military ruler Ziaur Rahman.
While Rita may be a new entrant in the election, her campaign is very organised, according to some voters in the area.
“I am your Jadu Mia’s daughter and the ‘paddy sheaf’ candidate. Vote for me,” said Rita while distributing leaflets among voters during her campaign.
Fifty six year-old Abu Hanif vowed to vote for Rita because of her father.
“I have been a paddy sheaf supporter since the time of Jadu Mia. I will not be swayed to vote for anyone else,’ Abu Hanif told bdnews24.com. Rita also had a message for young voters during her election campaign ahead of the Dec 30 elections.
“When you step forward, the country will be on the right track. You must come forward,” said Rita as she handed out leaflets among youths.
However, Rita Rahman’s candidacy was not universally accepted by local BNP activists, according to some locals.
BNP Rangpur Metropolitan President Mozaffar Hossain and Kawsar Zamam Babla were expecting to receive the nomination for the seat. Local BNP activists labelled Rita as an unwanted candidate when the party nominated her.
While the local leaders eventually reached an understanding with Rita, she hasn’t been able to bring everyone on board, said a local BNP leader.
However, Rita Rahman claims that the people of Rangpur will accept her due to their goodwill towards her father and will heed her call for change.
“The people I’m meeting are accepting me as one of their own. I went to a campaign rally on Sunday around 10 pm. Even at that time, the attendance of both men and women was eye catching,” she said
“I was surprised that so many people were waiting eagerly to see Jadu Mia’s daughter and to hear her speak.
Despite being a perennial MP for this constituency, Ershad failed to pay sufficient attention to this area, opined Rita.
“Ershad may claim to be one of the people of Rangpur but he originates from Kuchbihar. The people of Rangpur have gradually realised this. There was no shortage of employment in this area at one point but those days are long gone,” she said
“Ershad has represented this constituency in parliament for 30 years. What has he given back to Rangpur? It is in such a bad state now that people around the country look down on Rangpur. With my father’s ideals, I want to return the area to its previous state.”
Rita said that her supporters had also been receiving threats from local opposition activists.
“It may seem like the situation is good here because the opposition is ‘plough’. But the police harassment and threats from the opposition plaguing the rest of the country is happening here as well,”
While Ershad is in Singapore receiving medical treatment, his election campaign in Rangpur-3 is being conducted by Jatiya Party activists under the leadership of Rangpur City Mayor and Mahanagar Jatiya Party President Mostafizar Rahman Mostofa.
While Ershad’s posters and banners adorn the constituency’s streets, there has been a lack of communication on behalf of the ‘plough’ symbol, according to some locals.
Several voters in Chilmon said that representatives of the plough had not visited their area to seek votes.
“‘Paddy sheaf’ activists canvassed the area once but there still hasn’t been any news on the ‘plough’. Let’s see what they do,” said Faruk Mia, a tea-stall vendor in Chilmon.
In the absence of an Awami League or BNP candidate, Ershad remains the strongest candidate in the constituency but his margin of victory will be narrow, said Abdul Kader, a teacher at the Chilmon Government Primary School.
