After announcing to drop out from the polls race in Dhaka-17 seat, Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad has instructed candidates the party fielded outside the Awami League-led Grand Alliance to pull out.
He made the announcement before the media on Thursday (Dec 27) at his Baridhara residence in Dhaka.
Jatiya Party was allotted 29 seats by the Grand Alliance but the party had said that candidates in nearly 140 seats would compete separately.
“All candidates, except for those nominated by the Grand Alliance, have to pull themselves out from the race,” said Ershad, who serves as the special envoy to the PM.
Describing the Grand Alliance government as a “role model for development”, the former military dictator said he was confident that the ruling party-led coalition will return to power.
“I am not in good health. I have only returned to the country for my sister Sheikh Hasina. I have pulled out from the polls race in Dhaka-17 and extended my support to Awami League candidate movie star Farooque,” he said.
Responding to a query on a level-playing field for the candidates, Ershad said, “Given that he is a poet, Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukder is blabbering. What’s a level playing field? Those who are talking about it, do they really know what it is?”
Ershad is still contesting the polls from Rangpur-3 with his party's logo ‘plough’, but as the Awami League-led Grand Alliance's pick.
“I will go to Rangpur as I have been not able to go to there. The people are waiting for me. I hope to win the Rangpur constituency as a present for the Grand Alliance,” he said.
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