The ruling Awami League on Friday requested the Election Commission to allocate its election symbol ‘boat’ to 10 candidates from its three alliance partners to contest the January-5 general election. Of the 10 candidates, four each are from Bangladesh Workers’ Party and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasad, and two from Tarikat Federation. The candidates are Sheikh Hafizur Rahman (Narail-2), Mustafa Lutfullah (Satkhira-1) and Rashed Khan Menon (Dhaka-8) of Bangladesh Workers’ Party; Hasanul Haque Inu (Kushtia-2), Jayedul Kabir (Narsindi-2), Shirin Akter (Feni-1) and Moinuddin Khan Badal (Chittagong-8) of Jasad, and T Lion MA Awal (Laxmipur-1) and Nazibul Bashar Maizbhandari (Chittagong-2) of Tarikat Federation. An AL delegation led by its acting office secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap carried a letter signed by party President Sheikh Hasina to the EC secretariat on Friday noon for submitting it to the Chief Election Commissioner. The team handed over the letter to EC secretary Dr Mohammad Sadik, delegation member ABM Reazul Kabir Kawsar told UNB. Besides, the AL delegation unofficially told the EC secretary that the party would leave 46 parliamentary constituencies for Jatiya Party, led by HM Ershad. But the party candidates will run the election with their own symbol ‘plough’, Kawsar said adding that it is not final yet. He also said 242 AL candidates will contest the election with the party election symbol ‘boat’. In the rest two constituencies — Dhaka 17 and Chittagong-3 — there are no valid candidate both from AL and Jatiya Party. – UNB
