BNP loses three more candidates

With the election this Sunday, three more BNP candidates skidded off the race yesterday as the High Court disqualified them on the ground that the government did not accept their resignation as upazila chairmen.

Meanwhile, a Jamaat leader, contesting the polls on BNP's ticket, was arrested in Dhaka on charge of carrying out subversive activities.

An HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Khairul Alam passed the orders on Manjur Elahi in Narsingdi-3, Faruk Ahmed Kabir in Gaibandha-4 and Abdul Aziz in Natore-4.

According to the Representation of the People Order (RPO), anyone holding “an office of profit” like that of an upazila chairman cannot run for MP. 

With the three, the BNP now has no contenders in 17 of the 300 seats.

Most of them lost their candidacies on the same ground. First, they lost the legal battle in the HC and later in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in the last two weeks.

This has put the BNP in a tight corner to find backup candidates in those constituencies. Insiders say party high-ups were gearing up for backing candidates from its alliance partners or independent contenders in those seats. 

In another development, the same HC bench is likely to open hearing today on a fresh petition to decide the fate of 25 Jamaat-e-Islami men's polls bid. Of them, 22 are contesting the election with BNP's electoral symbol "sheaf of paddy".

They are running on BNP's ticket as the EC scrapped Jamaat's registration following a HC verdict.

Earlier, a writ petition was filed seeking HC directives on the EC to cancel Jamaat men's candidacies on the ground that the party's registration was cancelled and its leaders can not contest the polls.

The HC bench of Justice Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Mohammad Ali on December 18 asked the EC to dispose of the issue.

The EC on December 23 decided that there was no scope to cancel Jamaat men's candidacies.

Four representatives of Bangladesh Tarikat Federation and Amra Muktijoddha Santan together filed the supplementary petition yesterday challenging the EC's decision. They earlier had filed the writ petition with the other HC bench. 

The HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Khairul Alam received the supplementary petition and said the petition would be included in its hearing list today.  

Source: thedailystar