JP finally decides to join election

Ending all speculation, Jatiya Party has announced that it will run in the general election as it has assurance from different stakeholders that the polls will be free and fair.

JP Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu made the announcement at a press conference at the party chairman's Banani office yesterday.

The declaration came two days after a delegation of JP leaders, loyal to party Chief Patron Raushan Ershad, in a meeting with Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan raised the concern that their participation in the polls hangs in the balance as party Chairman GM Quader was yet to make the final decision in this regard.

Chunnu yesterday said the party has completed almost all preparations for the January 7 parliamentary polls.

"We have always said that we want an environment of trust which would enable voters to go to the polling stations and cast their ballots freely.

"We have been assured by all the stakeholders concerned, including the Election Commission, that the polls will be free, fair, and acceptable, and the voters will be able to exercise their franchise freely," he said.

Chunnu said the JP chairman trusted the assurance and decided to run in the election.

"On the instructions of the party chairman, I am officially announcing that Jatiya Party will participate in the election."

Responding to a question, the JP secretary general said the party will not join any electoral alliance, and that it will field candidates in all 300 constituencies.

"We will not go for seat-sharing with any other party. We hope that we will be able to put up a strong contest in all 300 constituencies," Chunnu said.

Meanwhile, the JP has sold a total of 1,510 nomination forms over the last three days. The party started selling nomination papers on Monday.

The party earned Tk 4.53 crore from the sales of nomination forms at Tk 30,000 each, Mahmud Alam, joint office secretary of JP, told The Daily Star.

Opposition leader Raushan, her son Rahgir Almahe Ershad and other JP leaders loyal to Raushan were yet to collect nomination papers, said party sources.

The sale of nomination forms will continue till 4:00pm today.

After interviewing the nomination seekers from November 24 to 26, the JP will make public the final list of its nominees on November 27.