Rashidul Hasan

The Jatiya Party was going to unveil the final list of candidates at a press conference around 8:00pm yesterday. Journalists and senior JP leaders had already started arriving at the party chief's Banani office for the event.

Two Tarikat Federation leaders are the only Islamic party representatives fortunate enough to get the Awami League's boat as their electoral symbol.

Appearing in public for the first time since November 20, Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad yesterday claimed that he was not being allowed to go abroad for treatment though he was ill.

Just four weeks before the December 30 polls, the Jatiya Party in a sudden move yesterday removed Ruhul Amin Hawlader from the secretary general's post and replaced him with State Minister for LGRD Moshiur Rahman Ranga.

Jamaat has finally decided that its aspirants will contest the December 30 parliamentary election with "sheaf of paddy", the electoral symbol of BNP, party insiders said.

Jatiya Party and other parties of the Awami League-led alliance would now field MP candidates separately, leaving the seat-sharing issue to be solved later, as the deadline for filing nomination papers expires tomorrow.

The ruling Awami League is yet to finalise its seat-sharing with electoral allies despite having a series of meetings with several of them yesterday. The ruling party could not reach a consensus with its ally Jatiya Party, a major component of the grand alliance that won a landslide in the 2008 polls, insiders said.

The Election Commission yesterday finally clarified its position on the use of electronic voting machines in the December 30 national election, saying EVMs would be used in all polling centres of six constituencies.

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad is likely to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also chief of the ruling Awami League, at the Gono Bhaban today amid disagreement between the two parties over seat-sharing, said JP sources.

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad has been unreachable for most of the party ranks over the last couple of days. He is staying in a house at Gulshan instead of his residence, President Park, in Baridhara.

Around 25 lawmakers from the ruling Awami League may not get party tickets to contest the December 30 national election.

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina yesterday made the MP aspirants from the party promise to accept whoever she nominated for the upcoming election and work together for them.

The Awami League looks all set to lead the largest electoral alliance ever to take on its archrival BNP and main opposition party and combines in the high-stake December election.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League president, will give strong directives today to a record number of 4,000 aspirants vying for party nomination for the December 30 national election.

As many as 52 nomination seekers are in a race to win Awami League's ticket to contest the 11th parliamentary polls from Barguna-1.

At least 4,000 nomination papers were sold in the last three days earning the Awami League around Tk 12 crore. But that's also a source of worry for the party.

The ruling Awami League appears to have ignored the electoral law and its own charter in the nomination process for parliamentary candidates in the next national election as the party didn't allow its grassroots leaders to make preliminary selection of contenders.

With much fanfare and enthusiasm, aspiring candidates yesterday started collecting nomination forms from the Awami League's election steering office in Dhanmondi, setting off on their race to be the party's contestants in the 11th parliamentary polls.

The Election Commission announces the schedule for the 11th parliamentary polls today amid support from the ruling Awami League and strong opposition from Jatiya Oikyafront, comprising the BNP and several other parties.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who wrapped up weeklong dialogues with political parties on the next parliamentary polls yesterday, had been part of the eventful history of both successful and failed talks.