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“When we receive information, we verify it and then act. Those who refuse to follow party decisions will face consequences,” he added.

KEY RACES

After dissolving the Bangladesh Jatiya Dal and joining BNP, Syed Ehsanul Huda is contesting in Kishoreganj-5, where expelled central BNP member and Bajitpur upazila BNP president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Iqbal is his main competitor.

In Dhaka-7, BNP candidate Hamidur Rahman is running alongside Ishaq Sarkar, a former organising secretary of the Jubo Dal central committee.

In Dhaka-14, BNP-nominated candidate Sanjida Islam Tulee is facing Syed Abu Bakar Siddique Shaju, who has been expelled as convener of the party’s Darus Salam thana unit.

In Noakhali-2, BNP candidate and adviser to the party chairperson Zainul Abdin Farroque is in the race with Kazi Mofizur Rahman, a member of BNP’s central executive committee.

In Munshiganj-1, BNP nominee Sheikh Abdullah is facing former upazila chairman Momin Ali, while in Munshiganj-3, Kamruzzaman Ratan, social welfare affairs secretary of the party’s central committee, is contesting alongside expelled leader and former district BNP convener Mohiuddin Ahmed.

In Sunamganj-3, BNP candidate Kaisar Ahmed is running against Anwar Hossain, a former district BNP vice-president contesting independently. In Sunamganj-4, BNP nominee Nurul Islam is competing with Dewan Zainul Zakerin, another former district BNP vice-president.

Party sources said there are six BNP rebel candidates across four constituencies in Brahmanbaria, while Mymensingh district has seven rebel candidates in its 11 seats.

In Mymensingh-2, the party’s candidate and North District unit Joint Convener Motahar Hossain Talukder is facing former BNP lawmaker Shah Shahid Sarwar, while in Mymensingh-11, Bhaluka upazila BNP candidate Fakhruddin Ahmed is being challenged by upazila BNP Joint Convener Muhammad Morshed Alam.

Rebel candidates have also emerged as major contenders in seats the BNP has left for alliance partners.

In Dhaka-12, Revolutionary Workers Party President Saiful Haque is contesting alongside expelled BNP leader Saiful Alam Nirob, former convener of Dhaka North city BNP.

In Patuakhali-3, the BNP has left the seat for Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque, while Hasan Mamun, a former president of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal’s Dhaka University unit and member of BNP’s National Executive Committee, is also contesting.

The BNP has also left Brahmanbaria-2 for Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Vice-President Maulana Junayed Al Habib, though expelled BNP leader Rumeen Farhana remains in the race.

Speaking to this newspaper yesterday, a BNP Standing Committee member admitted the failure to rein in rebel candidates, many of whom have emerged as main rivals of party nominees.

“But these rebels are also from the BNP. If they win, the party may take a softer stance toward them,” he added, seeking anonymity.

ANGER AMONG GRASSROOTS

In the last seven days alone, the BNP has expelled more than six dozen grassroots leaders accused of campaigning for rebel candidates, sparking anger and dissatisfaction at the local level.

Several expelled leaders said they continue to work for rebel candidates despite disciplinary action, acknowledging that this is hurting BNP’s nominated contenders.

They alleged that the party high command ignored grassroots opinions during the nomination process, failed to consult local leaders, and sidelined long-time activists.

Moniruzzaman Monir, general secretary of Bajitpur upazila BNP in Kishoreganj was among 17 leaders who were expelled on Monday. He is campaigning for Sheikh Mojibur Rahman Iqbal, an independent candidate for Kishoreganj-5 who had been expelled as president of the unit and member of the National Executive Committee.

“Grassroots leaders and activists have made sacrifices for the party for years and faced attacks and cases. Expelling them through a press release is not a good decision and will damage the party,” Monir told this correspondent.

“Even after expulsion, I will continue to work for the rebel candidate. We are not in favour of new hybrid leaders who came from other parties,” he added.

Mujibur Rahman, an expelled leader in Munshiganj-3, echoed Monir’s feeling.

“I do not care about the expulsion decision. I have been in politics for 45 years and have faced more than 50 cases. The BNP-nominated candidate is a hybrid leader, so we are working with the independent candidate,” he said.

On Tuesday, six leaders of Shahbazpur union BNP in Brahmanbaria’s Sarail upazila were expelled for actively campaigning for Rumeen Farhana.

Yesterday, the party expelled 18 local leaders in Noakhali-2 and eight others in Munshiganj-1 for seeking votes for rebel candidates.

In Munshiganj-3, the municipality unit member secretary and three members of the district’s convening committee resigned their posts in support of the rebel candidate.

Atowar Hossain Babul, one of the three former district committee members, accused the party of “improperly issuing expulsion orders in an undemocratic way”.

“That’s why we are resigning on our own. How can we work for a party that has no democratic practice inside it, even in the smallest way?” he said at a press conference yesterday.

“Even if we worked for an independent candidate, the party could have issued us a show-cause notice first. But expelling us directly like this is undemocratic.”