& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Door shut yet open for BNP

Nomination paper submission time over; EC willing to change election schedule

Staff Correspondent
The door for the opposition to join the January 5 polls has apparently closed with the time to submit nomination papers expiring yesterday.
However, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad has said everything would be possible if the two major alliances reached a consensus over the election-time government.
Talking to reporters yesterday, he urged the political parties to find an amicable solution to the stalemate. "Rigid stances will not help, and both sides will have to make some FROM PAGE 1
concessions/' he added.
Earlier on Sunday, he said the EC would consider extending the time for submitting forms if the BNP decided to take part in the polls.
The opposition BNP, however, has been enforcing a countrywide blockade of roads, railway and waterways demanding elections under a non-party caretaker administration and the suspension of the polls fixture. It even extended its ongoing 72-hour blockade to a 131 -hour one yesterday.
BNP chief Khaleda Zia yesterday again called on the EC to suspend the polls schedule.
The prospect of a deal between the Awami League and BNP on the type of election-time government still remains dim. However, Communications Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday claimed that there was still hope.
He said there could be a deal brokered between the government and the opposition since the national and international communities were working towards this end.
With the BNP-led opposition alliance staying out, 1,107 people, mostly leaders belonging to 15 parties, including Awami League, its alliance component Jaliya Party, and around 150 independent candidates filed their nomination papers.
The returning officers will scrutinise their papers on December 5 and 6.
The EC on the night of November 25 announced the election schedule keeping only six days, the shortest in the last two decades, for submitting nomination papers.
The EC gave 28 days' time for candidates to file nomination papers at the 2008 parliamentary polls, in which 1,500 candidates took part. In 2001, nine days' time was given and 1,900 lawmaker aspirants took part. At least 16 days were given for the seventh parliamentary elections in 1996 with 2,500 people joining the battle ofballots.
For the 10th parliamentary' election, there are at least eight constituencies with only one candidate who filed the nomination papers: MK Alamgir in Chandpur-1, Momtaj Begum in Manikganj-2, Rezwan Ahmed Tawfiq in Kishoreganj - 4, Abdus Shaheed in Moulvibazar-4, Nuruzzaman Ahmed in Lalmonirhat-2, Morshed Alam in Noakhali-2, Amanur Rahman Khan Rana in Tangail-3, and SKAfil Uddin injessore-l.
However, Awami League nominated candidates in many constituencies will have to deal with rebel candidates of their own party running as independents.
Former state minister Mannujan Sufian for Khulna-3, and Awami League leaders Zahid Ahsan Russel for Gazipur-2, Mrinal Kami Das for Munshiganj-3, Sagupta Yesmin Emili for Munshiganj-2, and Mostofa Rashidi Suja for Khulna-4 will have to battle rebels in their party.
Meanwhile, the EC yesterday decided to request the authorities to transfer the divisional commissioner of Dhaka and deputy commissioner of Khulna.
An election commissioner told The Daily Star that the two officials did not act as per the EC's directives and that was why die EC wanted their transfer.