No one has an answer as to how many Jatiya Party candidates are currently active in the electoral field because candidates are disappearing from the electoral field every day.
As a larger group prepared to make a formal announcement, senior leaders intervened and backed off. A reliable source in the party claimed that the number of active seats in the field would be less than 200.
Jatiya Party Joint Office Secretary Mahmud Alam told Barta24.com that we have counted 156 candidates who are actively in the field today (December 30). There are many others but not strongly.
Although JP has nominated party candidates in 294 constituencies, Sylhet-4 Constituency candidate Presidium Member ATU Taj Rahman, Cox's Bazar-2 Constituency Central Executive Committee Member Mahmudul Karim, Jatiya Krishak Party Central Committee Member Omar Farooq in Chandpur-5 Constituency, Kishoreganj-2 Constituency Central Executive Committee Member Khurram Bhuiyan, District Jatiya Party President Zainal Abedin in Munshiganj-2 Constituency and Fazlul Karim, candidate of Feni-1 Constituency abstained from filing nomination papers. After the selection, the Election Commission declared the candidates of JP valid in 272 constituencies. 6 people withdrew their candidature on appeal, bringing the number to 278. On the last day of withdrawal of nomination papers (December 17), some candidates withdrew from the election. In the end, JP sources said that candidates got symbols in 265 seats.
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, it will stay in the electoral field, if not, it 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. The aggrieved candidates held several meetings among themselves without meeting the chairman and general secretary of the party.
About forty of the angry candidates held a meeting in Mohammpur, Dhaka on December 26. 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.
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. The Chairman has come to Dhaka, Secretary General will meet them when he returns to Dhaka on December 27.
When asked how many candidates came and the reason for staying in Dhaka after leaving the constituency, he said, as many as 22 candidates came to my office. And they are staying in Dhaka, this is not the case. Now the communication system is much better, they are in and out of constituencies.
New faces are being added to this list day by day. They were informed on Saturday that no funds can be given by the party. In anger, many have withdrawn from the election campaign. 15 candidates of Chattogram region gave an ultimatum to withdraw by holding a press conference. Senior leaders refrained from speaking.
A candidate on condition of anonymity told Barta24.com that they were told that the party's situation is troubled due to various reasons. A kind of conflict has arisen over the lack of names of senior leaders in the compromise, the party chairman's wife getting the Dhaka-18 seat. There is also a crisis with Roushan Ershad withdrawing from the election. A formal announcement in this situation would create an opportunity to put the responsibility of failure on their shoulders.
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 general secretary. Tried many times, party chairman did not meet. Even though Banani was in the office, the chairman did not meet the candidates. 26 have been sacrificed to ensure victory. Why should I spend my money now? If I move now, I will avoid financial loss. After filing the nomination papers we were kept on 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. Although many are candidates, they are spending time in Dhaka. Jatiya Party candidate Zakir Hossain announced his withdrawal from the election on December 23 in Sirajganj-3 (Rayganj-Tarash) constituency. Jatiya Party Raiganj Upazila Branch President Zakir Hossain told reporters, 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.
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. The party also wasted time to announce the election. The EC decided to sell party nomination forms on November 19, even though it had scheduled it on November 15.
Apart from giving nominations, the party has not given any direction to the party candidates so far. In other elections, party chiefs or senior leaders would visit. Although there are only a few days in hand, no initiative is seen in that regard. A kind of frustration is increasing among the candidates. Many people see the risk of raising the 26 seats found in the agreement.