Awami League President Sheikh Hasina has finalised a list of 60 parliamentary constituencies, mostly in Rangpur division, to give up those seats for the Jatiya Party if it agrees to contest the January 5 national polls.
If JP Chairman HM Ershad returns to the electoral race, the AL nominees in those constituencies would withdraw their candidacies to ensure victory for the JP aspirants, said AL sources.
The ruling party has planned to give up a total of 71 seats for its allies and the Jatiya Party.
Some senior AL leaders were making strong efforts and holding talks with JP leaders Rawshan Ershad, Anisul Islam Mahmud and Ziauddin Bablu to convince the JP high ups of joining the polls.
AL presidium member Matia Chowdhury said her party was trying to bring Jatiya Party back in the electoral battle. Ershad recently announced that his party will stay away from the polls and quit the "election-time government".
Meantime, around 20 JP candidates, including Ershad and his brother GM Quader, yesterday applied for withdrawal of their candidacies, report our district correspondents.
Top leaders Rawshan Ershad, Anisul Islam Mahmud and Ruhul Amin Hawlader are yet to withdraw their candidacies.
Ershad on Monday directed his party candidates to withdraw their nomination papers by December 13, the last date for withdrawal of candidacy.
Taking to The Daily Star, JP presidium member Kazi Firoz Rashid said its nominees have started withdrawing their candidacies on the directives of the party chief. The party chairman has sent three letters to the returning officers of Rangpur-3, Lalmonirhat-1 and Dhaka-17 constituencies, he added.
But the letter for the Dhaka-17 constituency was rejected as it was backdated.
Dhaka district returning officer Zillar Rahman said, "Ershad's withdrawal prayer was rejected as he mentioned December 5 [instead of December 111 as the application date. I told them [party men| to submit a fresh copy." LIST OF CONSTITUENCIES
The constituencies that the ruling Awami League would give up for the JP are: Panchagarh-1, Thakurgaon-3, Dinajpur-6, Nilphamari-3, 4, Lalmonirhat-3, Rangpur-1,2,3, Kurigram-1,2,3, Gaibandha-2,3, Joypurhat-1, Bogra-2,3,4,6,7, Khulna-1, Satkhira-2,4, Patuakhali-1, Barisal-3,6, Tangail-5, Jamalpur-4, Mymensingh-4,5,7,8, Kishoreganj-3, Dhaka-1,4,6,17, Narayanganj-3,5, Sunamganj-4, Sylhet-2,5, Moulvibazar-2, Habiganj-1, Brahmanbaria-2,3, Comilla-2,3,4,8, Chandpur-4, Feni-3, Noakhali-1, Laxmipur-2, Chittagong-5,9,16, Cox's Bazar-1,2 and Khagrachhari.
Except for the JP, the AL would offer four constituencies to Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), four to Workers Party, two to Tarikat Federation and one to Jatiya Party (Manju).
The four constituencies for the JSD are Kushtia-2, Chittagong-7, Brahmanbaria-5 and Feni-1; Workers Party Dhaka-8, Rajshahi-2, Narail-2 and Satkhira-1; Tarikat Federation Chittagong-2 and Laxmipur-1; and JP (Manju) Pirojpur-2. MEETING AT GONO BHABAN
The AL last night finalised the seat-sharing agreements with it allies and like-minded parties.
Leaders of different political parties agreed seatsharing at a meeting at Gono Bhaban in presence of AL chief Sheikh Hasina, said meeting sources.
AL leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Abdul Latif Siddique, Syed Ashraful Islam, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Khalid Mahamud Chowdhury, Jatiya Party leaders Anisul Islam Mahmud and Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu and Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon were present, among others.
I lasina told the meeting that the government will go for the national election at any cost and it would not matter who joined the polls or not. LETTERS ISSUED TO NOMINEES
The AL yesterday started distributing letters to its nominees to submit those to returning officers for allocating electoral symbol to the candidates.
The party, however, did not issue letters for the constituencies, which it wanted to give up to its allies and Jatiya Party.
AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said they started distributing the letters on the basis of seat sharing agreements with other political parties.