KUSHTIA, Oct 19: Awami League (AL) lost Kushtia-1 (Daulatpur) constituency in the 2014 general election because of internal conflicts.
The ruling party now hopes a unifying candidate can resolve the local party's infighting and lead it to victory in the constituency in the upcoming 11th general election.
AL's internal conflict has helped BNP and Jatiya Party to dominate this seat over the years.
But even though BNP won Kushtia-1 in 1991, 1996 and 2001, the main opposition is facing a difficult task to defeat the ruling party and regain the seat this time.
Afaz Uddin has been at the helm of the local AL unit since 1975 and is currently the party's upazila unit president.
He won the seat at the 2008 election but was defeated in 2014 by the AL's Rezaul Haque Chowdhury, who ran as an independent candidate. These two stalwarts have been bitter rivals for a long time.
Rezaul says he is confident that the party will pick him if it considers the opinions of grassroots leaders and activists. "I have nothing to say if the party nominates someone else without surveying the grassroots," he said.
Afaz, however, claims Rezaul's brother and his sons have established a reign of terror in the locality, controlling tenders and markets as well as taking bribes from drug dealers.
Rezaul and his relatives are giving the people a hard time. Extortion is everywhere. They even tortured the party's leaders and activists, Afaz said.
Besides, young AL leader Advocate Hasanul Askar Hasu is also seeking nomination. He tried to remove the conflict between the elders. He is the coordinator of district AL as the representative of the Daulotpur Upazila Awami League.
Young candidate Hasanul Asker Hasu said, "I do not want to say anything about myself. People will say about me. I'm not a hybrid leader. All my family members were dedicated to the AL till the end of their life."
Kushtia-1 has 273,251 voters. AL twice won the seat- in 1973 and in 2008.
BNP won the seat thrice - in 1991, 1996, and 2001. Internal conflict cost AL the seat in 2014.
According to Rofiqul Islam Lalon, former special public prosecutor of Kushtia Judge Court and Daulotpur AL's senior leader, nominating either Afaz or Rezaul will mean the other one will not support the party's candidate.
He is tipping a third candidate, young AL leader Advocate Hasanul Asker Hasu, who has a good rapport with AL Joint General Secretary (GS) Mahbubul Alam Hanif.
It won't be surprising if Advocate Hasu is nominated. It will force everyone to work together, Rofiqul said.
For his part, Afaz said he would work for 'anyone the party chooses'.
Several other aspirants reportedly seeking the nomination for Kushtia-1 are AL's Upazila unit GS Sharif Uddin Rimon and Rajshahi University Chhatra League's former president Sarowar Jahan Badshah.
Some politicians think former MP Reza Ahmed Bachchu Molla will be BNP's strongest pick for the election.
His father, Ahsanul Haque Pocha Molla, won the seat in 1991, 1996, and 2001.
Bachchu, BNP's upazila unit president, won the 2003 by-election, but was inactive during the 2007-08 caretaker government. As such, the party nominated its district unit Vice-President Altaf Hossain Molla.
"I have worked diligently to organise the party, braving many odds. So far, I am the only BNP leader active here," Bachchu said.
Other contenders are BNP's upazila unit GS Shahid Sarkar Mongol, senior leader Altaf Hossain, and Advocate Ramzan Ali.
"I hope the party will put its trust in me, but I will work for any BNP candidate in the election," Mongol said.
