Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Central Standing Committee's executive member Syed Jahangir Alam has collected nomination papers for Dinajpur-3, the constituency of the party's chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.
Khaleda Zia’s nomination papers were officially submitted at 4:00 pm on Sunday December 28, by the district BNP leaders, including President Advocate Mofazzal Hossain Dulal, General Secretary Bakhtiar Ahmed Kochi, and Senior Vice President Mobarak Hossain, to District Returning Officer and Deputy Commissioner Md. Rafiqul Islam.
A prayer mahfil preceded the submission at the BNP office.
Earlier, at around 1:45 pm, Syed Jahangir Alam obtained the nomination form as an independent candidate from the office of Additional District Magistrate Noor-e-Alam Siddiqui. Several local party leaders, including District Sports Secretary Mamunur Rashid, former municipal councilor Rehatul Islam Khoka, and Motibur Rahman, were present on the occasion.
Speaking to the media, Syed Jahangir Alam said, “I was instructed by the party high command to collect the nomination form for Dinajpur-3. Everything is based on written instructions I have received. We cannot act outside the party chain of command,” he said.
When he later tried to submit the form, district BNP leaders and affiliated activists blocked him, raising slogans against him. A brief scuffle occurred, and he returned without submitting the papers.
District BNP President advocate Dulal said, “The central committee did not inform us about Syed Jahangir Alam nor instruct us to facilitate the submission.”
General Secretary Bakhtiar Ahmed Kochi said, “We have submitted Begum Khaleda Zia’s nomination papers and will investigate Syed Jahangir Alam’s actions.”
Earlier, on December 24, district BNP leaders, including Bakhtiar Ahmed, had collected Khaleda Zia’s nomination form on her behalf.
Emdadul Haque Milon/MHK