L-R: Barrister Amirul Islam and Kabirul Islam Mukti

Grassroots Awami League leaders in several districts yesterday expressed sharp reaction over nomination of candidates, saying that the party high command fielded candidates ignoring their suggestions and depriving dedicated and acceptable leaders.
Khulna
Nani Gopal Mandol has been given nomination from Khulna-1 (Dacope-Batiaghata), Mizanur Rahman from Khulna-2 (Sadar-Sonadanga) and Molla Jalaluddin from Khulna-4 (Rupsha-Terokheda-Digholia) constituencies.
But the three persons are new faces and they have not popularity enough to win in the seats, said BM Abdus Salam, a leader of Khulna district Awami League.
The old faces replaced in the nomination process by new candidates are President of Khulna District Awami League and ex-whip of six Jatiya Sangsad Sheikh Harun-ar-Rashid and ex-lawmakers Babu Panchanon Biswas and Kazi Sikandar Ali Dalim.
Babu Panchanon Biswas, president of Batiaghata Upazila AL and elected lawmaker in 1996 by-election and 2001 national elections from Khulna-1 constituency, collected a nomination paper on Sunday to file from Khulna-1 as an independent candidate.
Narail
A faction of Narail AL and its front organisations are strongly opposing district AL President advocate Subas Bose's nomination in Narail-1 (five unions of Narail Sadar and Kalia upazilas).
From a meeting jointly organised by Kalia upazila Jubo League and same unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League at Alpona auditorium in Kalia upazila headquarters yesterday, they demanded cancellation of Subas's nomination.
Declaring Subas Bose, who is not a voter of Narail -1 constituency, 'unwanted' in the upazila, they vowed to resist him. They also gave a 24-hour ultimatum to cancel his nomination and threatened to quit the party in case of failure. They demanded nomination of AL leader and Kalia municipality's mayor Kabirul Islam Mukti in the constituency.
Satkhira
Local leaders and activists of Shyamnagar upazila Awami League (AL) have expressed dissatisfaction over party nomination to district AL leader Monsur Ahmed to contest in Satkhira-4 (Shyamnagar upazila and four unions of Kaliganj upazial) constituency.
The grassroots leaders at an extended meeting on November 9 unanimously selected former AL lawmaker AK Fazlul Haque as their party candidate to contest the election from the seat.
Fazlul Haque was elected from the seat defeating Jamaat candidate in 1996 election.
Mymensingh
Leaders of upazila units of AL and its front organisations yesterday held a rally in front of Mymensingh Press club protesting central AL's decision to nominate Hayatur Rahman Khan Belal from Mymensingh-2 (Phulpur) constituency.
They demanded nomination for Sharif Ahmed, the son of veteran AL leader late Shamsul Haque from this constituency.
Earlier a few thousand supporters of Sharif joined a human chain at Tarakanda Bazar. AL men will form a 15-kilometre human chain from Tarakanda to Phulpur upazila headquarters tomorrow.
Nilphamari
In Nilphamari-1 former lawmaker Hamida Banu Shova has been nominated, creating mixed reaction in the area as she was not included in the panel of candidates sent by grassroots AL activists.
In Nilphamari-4 (Saidpur and part of Kishoreganj upazila) Col (retd) Maruf Saqline got party nomination but his name was not in the panel of candidates chosen by party grassroots.
Kushtia
Grassroots leaders and activists of Awami League (AL) have demanded prominent lawyer veteran AL leader barrister Amirul Islam instead of Kushtia district AL President Rasiduzzaman Dudu as the party candidature in Kushtia-3 (Sadar) constituency.
Grass roots committees had recommended Amirul Islam alone for nomination from the seat.
Sylhet
Commotion among party men in at least six constituencies has been reported after the Awami League announced the list of its candidates for 17 among 19 constituencies in Sylhet division, reports our staff correspondent from Sylhet.
These are, Sylhet-2, Moulvibazar-2, Sunamganj-4, Habiganj-1 and Habiganj-3. However, names of candidates for Habiganj-3 and Sunamganj-1 constituencies are yet to be announced.
Nomination of UK AL Joint Secretary Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury for Sylhet-sparked serious commotion as former upazila chairman Muhibur Rahman, who had a good fight against BNP-led four-party alliance leader M Ilyas Ali in 2001 polls, has been dropped.
A good number of grassroots level leaders at a press conference on Saturday had demanded fielding of Muhib again.
Nomination for Sunamganj-1 (Tahirpur, Dharmapasha, Zamalganj) has remained suspended raising questions among the party men. Former lawmaker Syed Rafiqul Haque and former prime minister's parliamentary affairs adviser Suranjit Sengupta were elected there in the past. Both of them are aspirants here this time.
As AL central Organising Secretary and former lawmaker Sultan Mohammad Mansur Ahmed has been replaced by the USA AL's Organising Secretary advocate Ataur Rahman Shamim in Moulvibazar-2 (Kulaura and part of Komolganj), there is serious dissatisfaction among the grass roots.
At a hurriedly convened press conference the upazila AL leaders on Monday night local AL leaders said there is no substitute to Sultan Mansur while advocate Shamim, has no acceptability in the area as he had been staying abroad for long.
Sultan had been known as a reformist in the party.
Dropping former JS whip Azizur Rahman to replace former Moulvibazar Pourashava chairman Syed Mohsin Ali in Moulvibazar-3 (Moulvibazar Sadar and Rajnagar) also triggered commotion among a section of party leaders in the district headquarter.
Nomination of Sunamganj district AL's acting chief Matiur Rahman in place of Dewan Shamsul Abedin, who contested in 2001, raised questions among the party men in Sunamganj-4 (Sunamganj Sadar and Biswambharpur). Abedin had joined LDP months ago. However, AL may sacrifice the seat for Begum Mumtaj Iqbal of Jatiya Party (JP), wife of former JP minister Major Iqbal Hossain, sources said.
A section of AL leaders are annoyed over the nomination for Dewan Farid Gazi in Habiganj-1 (Nabiganj and Bahubal) as they were expecting Dr Reza Kibria, son of slain former finance minister SAMS Kibria.
District AL General Secretary advocate Abdul Majid Khan has been named in place of former lawmaker Nazmul Hassan Zahed for Habiganj-2 (Ajmiriganj and Baniachang), giving rise to serious commotion.
But the nomination is yet to be announced for Habiganj-3 (Habiganj Sadar and Lakhai), where slain SAMS Kibria was elected in 2001.
Chandpur
Grassroots Awami League leaders and activists in three constituencies in the district have alleged ignoring the highest vote receivers of the grassroots leaders in nominating party candidates.
In Chandpur-2, 3 and 4 seats, Dhaka city AL general secretary and former state minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya Bir Bikram, AL central leader Sujit Roy Nandi and Chandpur district AL president Dr Md Shamsul Haque Bhuiyan became the highest vote securers in the panel of five candidates sent by grassroots leaders to the party's parliamentary board.
According to the list of party nominees published on Sunday, former Air Force chief Air Vice Marshall (retd) Rafiqul Islam, AL central Women Affairs Secretary Dr Dipu Moni and Shafiqur Rahman got nomination from Chandpur-2, 3 and 4 constituencies.