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AL starts distributing nomination forms

Hasina, other top leaders collect forms; AL receives registration certificate from EC

Staff Correspondent
Amid fanfare and jubilation the Awami League (AL) nomination seekers yesterday started collecting nomination forms from the party's central office on Bangabandhu Avenue, setting off their race to national polls.
The three-day sale of nomination papers began in the morning with selling a form for AL chief Sheikh Hasina for Gopalganj-3 constituency. AL acting general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam sold the form to Tanjimul Islam Shamim, nephew of Basina's husband DrWazed Mian.
As many as 979 forms were sold on the first day from six booths opened for six divisions at the party office.
Of those, 360 were sold for different constituencies in Dhaka Division, 195 for Chittagong, 167 for Rajshalii, 92 for Barisal, 50 for Sylhet, and 115 for Khulna Division.
Apart from Gopalganj-3, nomination forms were sold for Hasina
for Rangpur-6 and Narail-1 constituencies.
AL Acting president Zillur Rahman, acting general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam, AL leader and former speaker Advocate Abdul Hamid (Kishorganj-5), Prof Abu Sayeed (Pabna-1), AK Khandaker (Pabna-2), Abul Mal Abdul Muhit (Sylhet-1), Obaidul Quader (Noakhali-5), Subid Ali Bhuiyan (Comilla-2), Dr Hasan Mahmood (Chittagong-6), Mahamudur Rahman Manna (Bogra-2),
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Asaduzzaman Noor (Nilphamari-2), Sultan Mohammad Monsur (Moulvibazar-2), Dr Reza Kibria (Hobiganj-1). Juba League President Jahangir Kabir Nanak (Barisal-5), Yusuf Abdullah Harun (Comilla-3), Nurul Islam Nahid (Syihet-6), and Ishaq Ali Khan Panna (Pirozpur-2) are among the significant leaders who collected forms.
Former minister Mohammad Nasim (Sirajganj-1) and exlawmaker and Hasina’s cousin Sheikh Helaluddin also bought nomination forms through their representatives. Nasim and Helal were convicted by special courts and sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment each on October 8 last year and on February 24 this year for amassing wealth illegally and concealing information about wealth from ACC.
Since morning nomination aspirants from across the country started coming to the /U. central office accompanied by their supporters. turning Bangabandhu Avenue to a sea of crowed and giving an impression of election festivity The supporters chanted slogans in favourof their candidates.
However, many nomination seekers had to return empty-handed despite waiting for several hours due to huge turnout and some mismanagement.
"I came to the party office at 1:00pm but failed to buy a form as I could not reach the booth due to huge crowd." said advocate Bazlur Rahman, founding president of Bangabandhu Ainj ibi Parishad.
"I sent four youths to buy a form for me for Narsingdhi-3 constituency. but they also failed," an apparently annoyed Bazlur told The Daily Star around 5:00pm.
Mohila AL President Ashrafunnesa Mosharaf who also came herself to buy a nomination form for Mirpur also showed anger as she failed to reach the booth after a couple of hours. She said the number of places for selling forms should be increased.
As many nomination seekers who came to Dhaka to buy forms could not buy the papers, the AL leaders in-charge of selfing forms continued selling till 8:00pm instead of scheduled 5:00pm.
The nomination aspirants must pay Tk 7,500 for a form and submit it to the party's central office by 5:00pm on November?.
They should also send copies of the forms to the presidents and general secretaries of their respective upazila or thana units. The local-level leaders will later prepare a panel of maximum fire prospectire nominees in extended unit meetings and send their names to the AL parliamentary board by November 9.
AL LEADERS MEETCEC
AL leaders yesterday handed in a list of demands including rescheduling of the upazila polls to Chief Election Commissioner (CEO ATM Shamsul Huda.
The AL leaders, at a meeting with the CEC at the commission secretariat. requested him to give utility bill defaulters the chance to clear their dues before the final date for submission of nomination so that they can contest the next parliamentary elections.
Meanwhile, AL, Jatiya Party’ (Manju) andSamyabadiDal received certificates of registration from the Election Commission, raising the number ofEC-certified parties to 11.
As per the new electoral rules, one has to pay his or her dues 15 days before the date for submission of nomination. November 13 is the last date for turning in the nomination
papers for the next parliamentary election.
"We haw demanded determent of upazila polls and also informed the Section Commission about tlie problems of holding the two elec tions without enough gap," said AL acting General Secretary Syed Ashranil Haq who led an eight -memberALdelegation.
He said the gap of ten days between the parliamentary and tlie upazila polls slated for December 18 and 28 is not sufficient
Major political parties including AL and BNP have been demanding more gap between the two elections.
AL. presidium members Syeda Sajcda Chowdhury. Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Tbfail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta. Matia Chowdhury and its advisory council member HT Imam were present.
Ashraf said they demanded formation of a media policy before the elections.
"We have been assured that we can hold dialogue with the Election Commission and the government anytime over any issue before announcement of the election results," Ashraf added.
"We are happy to get the certificate and hope that we shall win the December 18 elections," AI. Office Secretary Abdul Mannan Khan told reporters after receiving the certificate at the EC Secretariat.
The EC has allocated boat to z\L as its election symbol.
The party applied for registration on October 15.
A total of 107 parties applied for registration with the EQ Of them, about 25 would get registered with the commission, EC sources said.
Under the new electoral rules, registration with the EC has been made mandatory for political parities to contest the national election.