The two VIPs, Moudud Ahmed and Obaidul Kader, are to battle out over the Noakhali-5 seat
The Noakhlai-5 seat comprises Companyganj and Kabirhat. The incumbent MP here is Law Minister Barrister Moudud Ahmed. Aspiring candidates in the seat have already taken to the field in anticipation of the coming polls. The walls are adorned with slogans and posters. Meetings, rallies and campaigns are in full swing. But the main attraction is the two star candidates -- the four party alliance's Moudud Ahmed and Awami League's candidate Obaidul Kader. Obaidul Kader was elected MP from the seat in 1996 and was formerly the State Minister for Youth and Sports.
Moudud Ahmed had been the Jatiya Party candidate for this constituency in 1991 and 1996. He won the seat in 1991, but lost it to Obaidul Kader in 1996 by a margin of 12 thousand votes.
There were a total of 289,112 voters in the 2001 election. Moudud Ahmed, nominated by BNP, won this time. He secured 84,574 votes. Awami League candidate Obaidul Kader secured 45,972 votes. Awami League's rebel candidate Ekramul Huq Chowdhury won 42,032 votes as an independent candidate. Awami League's inner conflicts led to Obaidul Kader's defeat. Has Ekramul Huq not contested separately, the results may have been quite different. It is certain that Moudud and Kader will contest again this time from their respective parties. However, Jamaat-e-Islami's central industries secretary Abu Naser Abdullah may seek the four-party alliance's nomination this time. Last election Moudud Ahmed reportedly had said that the 2001 election was his last. He had said he would hand the seat over to Jamaat in 2007. Jamaat, therefore, may ask for the seat this time.
An on-the-spot survey reveals that Moudud Ahmed has fulfilled his election commitments of making sadar Purbachal and Kabirhat an upazila, installing the Musapur regulator, establishing a fire service station at Companyganj, stepping up the upazila health complex to 50 beds, constructing an auditorium at the upazila parishad, development and repair of roads, etc. And this, his supporters maintain, will ensure his victory again.
However, on the flip side, Moudud no longer had the image he enjoyed when he won the 2001 election with a margin of 39 thousand votes. One reason for this is that while the alliance government has successfully upheld law and order all over the country, it has failed to do so in this area. The area is rife with theft, robbery, forceful occupation of land and chars (sandbars) and such criminal activities.
In addition to that, Moudud Ahmed is a VIP. Being a minister, he hardly has any direct contact with the people. This has disappointed the people. And during the rule of the present government, Awami League was hardly allowed to hold any public meetings or processions in the area. There are allegations of Awami League leaders and workers being harassed and repressed.
On the other hand, though he lost the last election, Obaidul Kader has been active in the field. He has been at close proximity with the voters, in the good and bad times. He has kept the party alive in the area. On top of that, last election's rebel candidate Ekramul Huq is back in the Awami League fold. He has accepted Obaidul Kader as the party candidate and is campaigning on his behalf. With the inner conflicts resolved, Obaidul Kader is quite strong again. And the local people feel that when he was a minister, he carried out comparatively more development work than the incumbent minister Moudud Ahmed.
The people feel there will be a stiff competition between Moudud and Obaidul in the coming polls. Both being VIPs, the election will be a matter of prestige to them.
Jatiya Party's aspirant for the seat is ANM Shahjahan. If Ershad joins the four-party alliance, he will accept the decision of his party chief. Jatiya Party is organisationally weak here.
Aspiring nomination from the pro-Liberation War parties is young industrialist and former Chhatra League leader, Director of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BC), Enayetullah Siddiqui. He has already put up coloured posters all over, greeting the people of the area. He has been freely carrying out all sorts of charitable work for the people in the area. He is providing jobs in his industry to unemployed youth. The people are responding positively to his activities. But the voters feel that these won't matter once the election arrives. The main fight, after all, will be between BNP and Awami League.
Election in Noakhali (2001-1991)
Year Winner Party Votes Runner up Party Votes
2001 Barrister Moudud Ahmed BNP 84578 Obaidul Kader Awami League 45972
1996 Obaidul Kader Awami League 40280 Moudud Ahmed BNP 28744
1991 Barrister Moudud Ahmed Jatiya Party 31448 Obaidul Kader Awami League 27917
Message by PAVEZ HALIM
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