Islami Oikya Jote in despair

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Chowdhury Akbor Hossain
Published : 04:00, Dec 02, 2018 | Updated : 04:00, Dec 02, 2018

Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ), one of the allies in the Awami League-led 14-party Grand Alliance is disappointed after not being able to secure nomination in the desired constituencies despite many political negotiations. Many leaders of the party pulled out of the race as they did not submit nomination papers in the last minute.
Its Vice Chairman Maulana Abul Hasnat Amini did not submit the nomination form for Brahmanbaria 2 and 3 while Secretary General Mufti Fayzullah has stepped aside due to unsuccessful negotiations with the Awami League.
Chairman Maulana Abdul Latif Nejami didn’t submit his nomination papers either leaving the activists of Islamist party in obvious despair.
IOJ had been an ally of the BNP-led 20-party Alliance for 17 long years up until December 2016. Since parting with the BNP, IOJ has been actively trying to get into Awami League’s good graces. In 2017, the party wrote to the ruling party expressing their wish to share constituencies in the polls.
On Nov 6, 2018, a 12-member delegation comprised of senior leaders of the party went to Ganobhaban to hold a dialogue with Prime Minister and Awami League (AL) chief Sheikh Hasina. They have also led rallies expressing their gratitude for the ruling AL after the Qawmi degree was given recognition.
During the dialogue they assured AL of working together even if they do not run for polls in coalition with the Grand Alliance.
They even welcomed the announcement of the polls schedule and their political negotiation with AL had given the leaders hope that they will at least be given three seats out of the four they had asked for. Awami League, however, did not cut any slack to Islami Oikya Jote despite many negotiations and assurances.
The party had made an initial list of 56 aspirants but only 41 ticket seekers submitted their nomination papers. But AL has given nomination to its own party members or members of the Grand Alliance along with them, meaning that their candidacy is not set in stone yet.
Islami Oikya Jote sought three seats -- Narsingdi-3 for its chief Maulana Abdul Latif Nezami, Chattogram-7 for the Secretary General Mufti Foyzullah, Bhahmanbaria-2 and 3 for Vice Chairman Maulana Abul Hasanat Amini and Cumilla-1 for Altab Hossain. Among the three, Maulana Abul Hasanat Amini is the only person who got the 14-party Grand Alliance’s ticket to participate to run in the election but his candidacy won’t be confirmed until they last day of nomination withdrawal.
Abul Hasanat Amini withdrew from the Brahmanbaria 3 as the AL candidate for that seat is the current MP Ubaidul Moktadir Chowdhury.
Meanwhile, Jatiya Party's Central Vice Chairman Ziaul Haque Mridha, the incumbent Brahmanbaria-2 MP was also given nomination again and as a result Amini withdrew from there as well. IOJ had asked the 14-Party Alliance to withdraw his nomination, but were overlooked.
IOJ Assistant Secretary General Maolana Altab Hossain sought the nomination for Cumilla-1 but AL candidate Subid Ali Bhuiyan got the ticket from the alliance.
The party’s Maulana Abdul Latif Nezami wanted to contest from Narsingdi-3 where AL candidate Sirajul Islam Mollah secured the nomination as Nezami could not submit his nomination papers on the last day of submission.
The Islami Oikya Jote Chairman Nezami said, "My representatives went to submit the nomination papers at Shibpur Upazila Nibahi Officers office where the authorities concerned didn’t accept the paper citing lame excuses.”
“We will go through legal procedures over the matter,” he added.
Meanwhile, IOJ Vice Chairman Maulana Abdul Hamid has left the party and joined at the BNP-led 20 Party Alliance’s Jamaat-e-Islami after failing to get the nomination from 14-party Alliance.
“There is evident frustration and disappointment among the activists and leaders of the party which will be solved soon,” Abdul Latif Nezami told Bangla Tribune.
“Currently, Islami Oikya Jote is not representing any alliance and will continue it’s political activities independently,” he added.

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