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AL now mulls giving tickets to mid-level ’reformists’

Shariful Islam and Hasan Jahid Tusher
Amid pressure from inside and outside the party, Awami League (AL) now mulls nominating some of its mid-level 'reformist' leaders who were initially denied party tickets for contesting the December 29 parliamentary election.
AL President Sheikh Hasina in consultation with the party's parliamentary board members has already brought some changes in the nomination of candidates for different constituencies. She has readied a fresh list of around 15 leaders, sources close to her told The Daily Star yesterday.
The list was prepared after reviewing recommendations made by an expert team that included members of the AL election conducting committee. The team recommended that the parliamentary board review nominations for around 60 constituencies.
Tlte team was formed in the wake of widespread protests
from supporters of a number of nomination seekers who were not given party tickets.
The list of 15 might be lengthened or shortened, and names of the candidates picked will however be disclosed just before the last date of filing of nomination papers, the sources said.
A member of AL parliamentary board, wishing anonymity, said, "The number of party nominations reviewed might increase ahead of the last date of submission of nomination,"
The party's think tank would use the review list as bait so that nomination seekers who will finally be left out cannot join other parties, and take their tickets, party insiders said.
A number of AL leaders along with their supporters have already joined BNP as they did not get nomination.
"1 am still in a state of uncertainty as to whether I would finally get party ticket although the party chief assured me that she would consider my nomination," a mid-level AL leader said yesterday. "If I could know the final decision in this regard, I could decide whether 1 should continue to sacrifice for the party or not."
The AL has nominated around 109 new faces, many of whom are not so known to people of their respective
constituencies.
AL Joint General Secretary Mukul Bose, organising secretaries Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Akhtaruzzaman and Sultan Mohmammad Mansur Ahmed, central leaders AKM Jahangir Hossain, Prof Abu Sayeed and Prof Nazma Rahman have not been given party tickets for their role after the 1 /11 changeover.
Sources said there is strong pressure on the AL president from different quarters at home and abroad to ensure nomination for these leaders to avoid a negative image of the party ahead of upcoming election.
Bangladeshi expatriates in New York, Michigan and Los Angeles in US have appealed to the AL chief to nominate Sultan for Moulovibazar-2 constituency. They also launched a website asking people to write to Hasina for ensuring his nomination.