Dhaka, Dec 26 – At last Jatiya Party (JP) chairman HM Ershad is returning home from Singapore after 16 days after treatment ending all speculation over his trip. According to party sources, party chairman will return home from Singapore tonight (Wednesday) at 99:05 pm by a flight of Singapore Airlines. Ershad’s trip led to speculations as his nominees were allowed to contest the election with both Boat as alliance candidates or Plough as JP candidates.
“Sir (Ershad) will land at Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport through a Singapore airlines flight at 9:05pm on Wednesday (Wednesday). His ticket is confirmed,” Professor Delwar Hossain, JP presidium member, who is also chief of election monitoring cell, told The Independent yesterday.
JP Presidium Member SM Faysal Chisti told this correspondent that Ershad, who is also a special envoy to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is scheduled to land at city’s Shahjalal International Airport at 9:05pm
by a Singapore Airlines flight.
From the airport, party chief is likely to go directly to his Baridhara President Park residence, he added.
Faysal, who is also coordinating Ershad’s election campaign for Dhaka-17 constituency, said the JP chief is now physically sound and is expected to start his polls campaign from tomorrow (Thursday).
When contacted ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader, second in command of JP after Ershad told this correspondent that he knew on television that party chairman is returning home.
“I am in Barishal now in election purposes. Our two presidium members have confirmed over returning party chairman’s return to home,” he said in reply to a query. Ershad went to Singapore on December 10 for treatment.
Earlier, JP chief’s return to Dhaka was deferred thrice. He was scheduled to return from Singapore on December 20, then on December 22, and lastly on December 24.
There were hypes and uncertainty among the JP leaders and activists over returning party chairman to home before elections or not.
Earlier, many JP leaders told media that there were no possibilities of party chairman’s return to home before elections as Ershad has been suffering from jaundice.
Ershad is contesting from two constituencies in the upcoming national polls. He is contesting from Rangpur-3 constituency under the banner of Awami League-led 14-party grand alliance and from Dhaka 17 under the party banner.
In Dhaka 17, Ershad will have to participate in a triangular contest with AL nominated candidate Akbar Hossain Pathan, a popular silver screen figure also known as Farooque, and Jatiya Oikyafront nominated
candidate Andaleeve Rahman Partho, also chief of Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP).
Before leaving for Singapore on December 10, Ershad took treatment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) for about a month.
Absence of Ershad, who is known as the most unpredictable character in the country’s politics, in the crucial time of electioneering raised many questions in the political arena. – Staff Reporter
