Chittagong: A surprise choice of mayoral candidate from outside the party fold generated simmering discontent within the opposition BNP as local leaders lamented that the man had ruled the roost in the port city while they were in peril after the 1/11 political episode.
The local leaders and workers of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) made no secret of their frustration over the selection of the mayor candidate for Chittagong City Corporation election, slated for June 17.
Though an official announcement is yet to come, but BNP has chosen Manjurul Alam Manju, an incumbent councillor who was the acting mayor during the caretaker government’s rule, as their nominee as CCC mayor.
Yet more surprising for the BNP men is the fact that Manju is known as an Awami Leaguer.
Manju already met BNP chairperson and ex-PM Begum Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office on Monday night—amid various reckonings in the rival political camps concerning the important local election in the port city, considered country’s commercial capital.
Sources said after a meeting of BNP standing committee, two of the crown leaders from Chittagong--Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury--proposed two names to the party chief. One of them is a former Awami League leader and the other is an industrialist.
Just after that sitting, they also had a closed-door meeting with the chairperson at about 11.30 pm. Competent sources confirmed that the last meeting was the decider for Manju.
Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, chairman of the city BNP and adviser to Begum Zia, told banglanews24.com.bd, “The party decided it and it is solely the internal matter of the party. There is no scope to converse on it.”
The party will announce the nomination in due time, he said. May 20 is the last date for submission of nominations for running the race.
“I am surprised! I know nothing about the matter in spite of being the general secretary,” said Dr Shahadat Hossain, one of the heart-broken aspirants for CCC mayor nomination from BNP.
“And nobody of the 41 wards and 11 thanas of the city does know about the matter. This initiative might have been taken for someone’s personal interest,” he added.
Shahadat also informed that both his and Abdullah Al Noman’s names were proposed to the chairperson from the standing committee, but later Amir Khasru Mahmud and Salahuddin Quader recommended Manjurul Alam Manju in the meeting behind the closed doors.
According to city BNP vice-president Abu Sufian, the nomination “should be declared according to the public choice, not in partisan interest”.
After the CCC election schedule was announced, central vice-chairman of the party Abdullah Al Noman, general secretary of the city BNP Dr. Shahadat Hossain and vice-president Dastagir Chowdhury with ex-mayor Mir Nasir also came in speculations as possible nominee for the mayor.
BDST: 12:19 Hrs. 2010-05-18
SMM/AK/MUA
