Nomination papers collected for Asif Mahmud from Cumilla-3 as independent candidate
Earlier, on 22 December, Asif Mahmud himself collected a nomination form from Dhaka-10 constituency
Nomination papers have been collected on behalf of former interim government adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain from Cumilla-3 (Muradnagar) constituency as an independent candidate, despite uncertainty over his decision to contest the seat.
According to the Cumilla district administration, the nomination form was collected on 24 December from the office of the deputy commissioner and returning officer.
The information was confirmed today (27 December) by Hasibur Rahman Porag, assistant commissioner at the Cumilla DC office.
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He said that a total of 104 nomination forms have so far been collected across 11 constituencies in Cumilla district. Among them, the nomination form for Asif Mahmud was collected on 24 December by Ramjanul Karim, who represented him as an independent candidate.
Earlier, on 22 December, Asif Mahmud himself collected a nomination form from Dhaka-10 constituency.
Local sources said Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain hails from Akubpur village of Akubpur union in Muradnagar upazila, Cumilla, and is the son of Mohammad Billal Hossain.
However, Ramjanul Karim, who collected the nomination on his behalf, is a resident of Palpara village under Cumilla Adarsha Sadar upazila. He works as a legal assistant at the Cumilla District Judge Court.
Speaking to reporters, Ramjanul Karim said, "A few people claiming to be associates of Asif Mahmud came to me with his address and bank draft and asked me to collect the nomination form from the DC office. I did so at their request. I have no personal relationship with the former adviser and do not know anything beyond this."
Attempts to contact Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain for comment were unsuccessful, as he could not be reached by phone.
However, his cousin and Muradnagar upazila convener of the Students Against Discrimination, Ubaidul Haque Siddiqui, said the family and local organisers were unaware of any decision to contest from Muradnagar.
"We came to know about the matter through different sources. There has been no decision from our side regarding collecting a nomination form from Muradnagar, and I do not know how it was collected. We understand that Asif Mahmud will contest the election from Dhaka," he said.
