Only a handful of 45 grassroots leaders of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party responded to the party鈥檚 call to withdraw their candidature from the first phase of upazila parishad elections slated for May 8 in 150 upazilas.
The last day to withdraw nomination papers was Monday.
On April 15, the BNP declared that it would not join the upazila parishad election and take organisational actions against the people who would contest the polls, ignoring the party鈥檚 decision.
The party did not participate in the 12th parliamentary elections under the Awami League government, demanding a non-party election-time administration.
In continuation of that, the party has announced the boycott of the upazila elections.
However, at least 45 leaders of the party have submitted nomination papers.
BNP leaders said that they conveyed the decision to the party members who submitted their nominations for the first phase of the upazila parishad polls.聽
Despite such instructions, about 30 former and current leaders kept themselves in the race, while some withdrew their nomination papers.
Former general secretary of Sarail upazila BNP Anwar Hossain, Faridpur sadar upazila BNP president Rauf Un Nabi and former leader of Juba Dal KM Nazmul Islam of the district, Sunamganj鈥檚 Shalla upazila BNP president Nagendra Chandra Sarkar, Rajshahi鈥檚 Godagari Juba Dal former general secretary Sajedur Rahman Khan, Sherpur鈥檚 Jhenaigati upazila BNP former joint convener M Aminul Islam, Kishoreganj district BNP organising secretary Nazmul Alam, Cumilla鈥檚 Meghna upazila BNP convenor Ramiz Uddin, Nangalkot upazila Chhatra Dal former president Mazharul Islam, Chapainawabganj鈥檚 BNP leader Ashraf Hossain and Naogaon鈥檚 Mahadevpur upazila BNP organising secretary Sajjad Hossain are among contesting the polls.
On the other hand, Brahmanbaria鈥檚 Nasirnagar upazila BNP general secretary Nuruzzaman Lashkar, Nasirnagar Sadar upazila BNP general secretary Omrao Khan, Dinajpur鈥檚 Ghoraghat upazila BNP vice president Sarwar Hossain, Chapainawabganj鈥檚 Shyamnagar upazila BNP legal affairs secretary Masudul Alam, and Sylhet鈥檚 Bishwanath upazila BNP former general secretary Gaus Khan were among those who withdrew their nomination papers, showing loyalty to the party leaders.
For those who remained in the contest, BNP leaders warned that they might suffer the consequences of party vice president AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon.
After being elected as Supreme Court Bar Association president, senior vice-president of the Nationalist Lawyers Forum Khokon was instructed not to take responsibility by the party.
Khokon was relieved of the post of vice president as he took over the office, defying the party.
When asked about the matter, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told 抖阴精品 that those who had submitted nomination papers had been asked to withdraw their nomination papers.
鈥楾hose who ignored the party instructions would face organisational action,鈥� he said.
At least 30 BNP grassroots leaders filed nomination papers for the second phase of the election, which will be held on May 21 in 160 upzilas.
The last date for filing nomination papers for the second phase was Sunday.
