Retired army officer and valiant freedom fighter Shahjahan Omar Bir Uttam has dramatically joined the ruling Awami League from BNP on the day after his release and submitted nomination papers as a candidate for Jhalkathi-1 constituency.
On Thursday (November 30) evening, Shahjahan Omar said, "From now on, I am no longer a 'BNP man'".
Shahjahan Omar said to a journalist's question about taking part in the 12th Jatiya Sangsad(JS) election by suddenly changing his party, how many more times will he stay out of the election. He said that the BNP should have gone to the 2014 elections.
He said that the party's secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other top leaders have been told to vote in the 12th parliamentary elections as well. Shahjahan Omar claimed that they also showed a positive attitude at that time.
Expressing disagreement with BNP's policy of boycotting the vote, the former vice chairman of the party said, how many more times will we be out of the election? I am not capable of considering the merits and demerits of BNP. I think BNP should have gone for election in 2014. Going in 2018 was a mistake and should have gone this time.
Brave freedom fighter Shahjahan Omar was elected Member of Parliament 5 times in 1979, 1991, 1996 and 2001 on BNP ticket.
He served as Minister of State for Law and Minister of State for Lands during the coalition government. Recently, his distance with Tariq Rahman was created due to not getting the membership of the standing committee and losing control of Jhalkathi district BNP.