Party Chairman GM Quader MP did not meet the party candidates even though he was present at Banani office of Jatiya Party. About forty of the angry candidates are said to have held a meeting in Dhaka's Mohammadpur.
The meeting was held at the office of Jatiya Party presidium member Shafiqul Islam Sentu, councilor of Ward No. 31 of Dhaka North City Corporation. The meeting lasted from 3 pm to 5 pm. Meanwhile, the candidates agreed to take a decision after looking at the situation till Wednesday (December 27). Several candidates present at the meeting confirmed this information to Barta24.com but refused to reveal their names.
Jatiya Party presidium member Dhaka North President Shafiqul Islam Sentu told Barta24.com that the matter is not like a meeting. Many candidates are not getting party chairman and general secretary. They came to meet me. Chairman has come to Dhaka, secretary general will return to Dhaka at night. We will meet them tomorrow.
When asked how many candidates came and why they left the constituency and stayed in Dhaka, Shafiqul Islam Sentu said, about 22 candidates came to my office. It is not the case that they are staying in Dhaka. Now the communication system is much better, they are in and out of constituencies.
Jatiya Party reached an agreement with Awami League on 26 seats at the last time of withdrawal of nomination papers. When that announcement came, there was no room for withdrawal. After that announcement, the ordinary candidates outside the 26 seats became angry. Those candidates think that their participation is now only a question of validating the election. That is why they are not willing to campaign by spending their own money. If the party gives funds, they will stay in the electoral field, if not, they will move away.
For the first few days, he thought they would be contacted by the party. But as his hopes were not fulfilled, he started communicating with the central leaders. As there was no solution, the candidates left the area and started crowding the Jatiya Party Chairman's office in Banani. New faces are being added to this list day by day. On December 25th and 26th, about fifty candidates were seen at the Banani office.
Party chairman GM Quader and secretary general Mujibul Haque Chunnu were absent for a few days as they stayed in their constituencies. However, party chairman GM Quader arrived at the Banani office on Tuesday (December 26) at 2:15 pm. Aspirants thronged to meet him soon after he arrived at the office. However, GM Quader did not meet any of them. It was informed through the leaders of the election management committee that their demands will be considered tomorrow (December 27) when the general secretary of the party comes. JP Chairman left the Banani office at 5:30 in the afternoon.
A candidate participating in the election from a seat in Noakhali district told Barta24.com on condition of anonymity that he wants to take a final decision after talking to the party chairman and secretary general. If the party gives the election fund, I will hold a press conference and withdraw from the election. There may be 50 to 70 candidates present there. This number may even cross the century. Out of 16 candidates from Chattogram region, 14 want to leave.
He said, when people ask for votes, why do you want votes? Jatiya Party has reached an agreement with Awami League. 26 have been sacrificed to ensure victory. Why should I spend my money now? If I withdraw now, I will avoid financial loss. After filing the nomination papers, we were kept sitting till the day of withdrawal. The decision whether to go to the election is suspended. Because of this, we have fallen behind in the field.
3 Jatiya Party candidates have already withdrawn from the election by holding a press conference. Jatiya Party candidate for Sirajganj-3 (Royganj-Tarash) constituency Zakir Hossain has announced to withdraw from the election on December 23. Jatiya Party Raiganj Upazila branch president Zakir Hossain told reporters that I was in the field till December 17 and did several election offices. Enthusiasm was created among the leaders and workers, but after 4 pm on December 17, it all died down.
A member of the Election Monitoring Committee and an organizing secretary of the Central Committee told Barta24.com on condition of anonymity that most of the calls are coming to know whether the money for election expenses will be paid. No decision on funding has been made yet. It has not been decided that the party will give funds, nor has it been decided that it will not be given.
Member Secretary of Election Management Committee and Presidium member Zahirul Islam Zahir told Barta24.com that yes some candidates are coming to Banani office. They want to inquire about the availability of party support.
The drama continued until the last moment of withdrawal of nomination papers on December 17. At the last minute, JP announced to participate in the elections. At the same time, Awami League held a separate press conference to confirm the fact that 26 seats were to be given to JP. Senior leaders and some sitting MPs not being on the compromise list, on the other hand suspicions and mistrust have increased over GM Quader's wife getting the Dhaka-18 seat.
A leadership crisis is already evident in JP. Among them, many people think that if these candidates withdraw from the election and become inactive, disaster may come for the party.