Narsingdi By-polls
Decision on giving AL symbol to Asad today
Staff Correspondent
Main opposition Awami League (AL) leaders will sit today to decide whether it will give party election symbol to its Narsingdi unit president advocate Asaduzzman for contesting in the Narsingdi-1 by-polls as a candidate of the opposition-backed Nagorik Committee.Sources in the AL, however, said most leaders are in favour of its previous decision to boycott the by-polls protesting the unilateral appointment of MA Aziz as the new chief election commissioner (CEC). "Chances are very slim that advocate Asaduzzman will be given the party election symbol 'boat' as [the AL] is not contesting the election," said a senior AL leader. The meeting of the AL Central Working Committee will be held at the party's Dhanmondi office today at 10:00am with Leader of the Opposition and AL chief Sheikh Hasina in the chair. The main opposition leaders said the party had a plan to contest the by-election but it backed away following claims of the new CEC that the AL is going to accept him by participating in the Narsingdi-1 by-polls. Earlier Monday night, an emergency meeting of the AL Central Working Committee warned party's Dhaka City Unit President Mohammad Hanif and General Secretary Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya to face disciplinary actions if they fail to resolve their internal conflicts as it is damaging the party's most important unit. The AL high-ups have cut out organisational power of both Hanif and Maya as conflict between the two leaders intensified in recent days over the formation of thana and ward committees of the party's Dhaka city unit. The meeting with Sheikh Hasina in the chair handed over responsibilities of eight parliamentary constituencies in the city to the supervision of separate committees consisting of eight presidium members. The presidium members will report to the party chief about the disputes in different thana units of Dhaka city AL in next two weeks. They will also form the thana and ward units, said an AL leader. AL presidium member Tofail Ahmed was given the charge of Sutrapur and Kotwali thanas, Kazi Zafarullah of Lalbagh, Amir Hossain Amu of Mirpur and Pallabi, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim of Ramna and Tejgaon, Suranjit Sengupta of Dhanmondi and Mohammadpur, Abdur Razzak of Motijheel, Sabujbag and Khilgaon, Motia Chowdhury of Demra and Shyampur, and Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury of Gulshan.
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