JP's possibility of joining the ruling four-party alliance has rejuvenated the party workers there, sources said.

The BNP lawmaker Habibul Islam Habib has become 'unpopular' and the four-party alliance will lose the seat if he is nominated, they said at a rally held in front of the party office in Kalaroa recently.

They also brought out a procession in the town chanting slogans against Habib.

Habib is sheltering criminals which has detached him from people, they alleged at the rally. He is also involved in 'widespread corruption and nepotism' and did not do any development work in the area, they said.

With Kalaroa upazila JP convenor Md Monsur Ali in the chair, the speakers alleged that an organised gang of goons under the shelter of the lawmaker has turned the area into a den of miscreants who are now engaged in grabbing lands of others, toll collection, tender manipulation and other crimes.

Gangs identifying themselves as 'MP's men' even grabbed a portion of the land of Betrabati High School while the administration remained an onlooker, they said.

They alleged that the lawmaker and his men have amassed huge property and crores of taka during the tenure of the government.

They appealed to JP chief Ershad to contest the next election from the constituency as people of the area witnessed 'massive development work' during JP rule earlier.

Monsur Ali alleged that lawmaker Habib defamed the four-party alliance and urged BNP chief Khaleda Zia not to nominate him in the coming election.

"We will not accept such a corrupt candidate to contest from the constituency", he added.

The JP programme publicly criticising the BNP lawmaker has made local BNP leaders unhappy.

On contact, Satkhira district BNP leader Samsuzzoha Bablu said,

"This is a conspiracy against 'popular' BNP lawmaker Habibul Islam Habib who is also the convenor of the district BNP.

"He (Habib) is the fittest person to get nomination from Satkhira-1", Bablu said.

"We will not 'surrender' the seat to JP at any cost. We want to see Habib as 4-party alliance nominee as he has done a lot of development works in the area. We will not accept anybody else", he said.

Habib, when contacted, refuted the allegations. "It is conspiracy against him by a former JP leader who joined BNP on the eve of last election to get alliance ticket but was denied.

"He is now trying to undermine me in getting alliance ticket", Habib said.