Meet the challengers 14-Party Alliance faces in 6 seats given by AL

The ruling Awami League has withdrawn its candidates from six constituencies where three member parties of its 14-Party Alliance have also fielded candidates.

While AL's concessions have strengthened the allies' bid for the seats, they are now facing independent candidates belonging to the ruling party.

Among the alliance members, AL left two seats for the Workers Party of Bangladesh, three for the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) and one for Jatiya Party (Manju).

But what will be the fates of these constituencies, or rather of those who choose to contest it?

A retention in Bogura-4?

In the Bogura-4 (Kahalu-Nandigram) seat, the AL had initially nominated Helal Uddin Kabiraj. But on Sunday, the ruling party withdrew the nomination, leaving the seat for JSD candidate AKM Rezaul Karim Tansen.

Tansen will now have to fight against Ziaul Haque Mollah, a four-time member of the parliament and a former BNP leader who later sided with the AL.

Following the demise of his father Azizul Haque Mollah, former MP for Bogura-4, in 1994, Ziaul also got involved in politics. 

He took over the seat in a by-election. Later in 1996 and 2001, he ran for the seat with the BNP ticket and won both times.

However, in 2007 he sided with the AL, losing out to BNP's ZIM Mostafa Ali.

Tansen, meanwhile, won the seat in 2014. He lost to BNP's Mosharraf Hossain, only winning back the seat after his predecessor tendered his resignation in 2022. 

A clash of big names in Barishal-2

Workers Party Chairman Rashed Khan Menon is up against two popular names in the Barishal-2 constituency.

His last win here was in 1991. Since then, times have changed.

He is set to face off against Monirul Islam Moni, an AL leader and independent candidate.

Moni had last won the seat in 2008, only to lose in 2014.

Besides, AK Faiyazul Haque Razu, grandson of Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Haque, is also contesting from the seat as an independent candidate.

The Barishal seat is tricky, working as an almost swing division since 2001.

But Barishal is also a key to the kingdom. Since 1996 till 2018, the party that bags the most seats there, also goes on to win the national polls.

But since 1996, no party has demonstrated any supremacy there.

Meanwhile, the incumbent for the seat, Shah-e-Alam, has been dropped by the AL and is no longer in the running.

Badshah awaits another crowning in Rajshahi-2?

The Bangladesh Workers Party's Fazle Hossain Badsha has been elected MP for the Rajshahi-2 seat in all the last three elections.

This time though, he might face a bit more challenge in Shafiqur Rahman Badsha, vice president of AL's Rajshahi metropolis unit, vying for the seat as an independent candidate.

For now, however, Shafiqur's candidacy has been cancelled by the Election Commission.

He has filed a writ petition with the High Court in this regard.

Analysis of EC data shows that the Rajshahi-2 seat has not been the AL's stronghold.

Since 1973, the party has never won there.

A hint of a fight in Kushtia-2

JSD's Hasanul Haque Inu is set to contest from the Kushtia-2 (Bheramara-Mirpur) with AL's ticket in the 7 January JS polls. He will have to beat AL leader and independent candidate Syed Kamarul Arefin in the seat.

General secretary of the Mirpur upazila unit of AL, Kamarul recently resigned from the post of upazila chairman to contest in the election.

He is considered a strong candidate who enjoys a lot of support and can prove to be a thorn in Inu's side.

Inu, who won the seat in 2008, and retained the post unopposed in 2014, however, will be losing little sleep over his challenger given his own pedigree.

A piece of walk in Pirojpur-2?

For the Jatiya Party (Manju), a victory in national elections typically hinges on the success of its star performer Chairman Anwar Hossain Manju in Pirojpur-2, his home constituency covering the Bhandaria, Kawkhali, and Zianagar upazilas.

The son of Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia, the founder of the Daily Ittefaq, he has an amazing track record with zero defeats in national polls.

In the 12th JS polls, Manju will contest in the seat with AL's ticket against independent candidate Mohiuddin Maharaj, the joint general secretary of district AL.

Recently, Mohiuddin has complained to the EC that a certain group is trying to cancel his candidacy by forging his signature.

Lady luck sought in Lakshmipur-2

Among all the 14-Party Alliance candidates who received AL's ticket, JSD's Mosharraf Hussain has the most rivals in the upcoming JS polls.

In the Lakshmipur-4 seat, he will have to compete against five independent candidates.

The independent candidates include Muhammad Abdullah, former MP for the seat, and vice president of district AL.

Abdul Mannan, who won the seat in 2018 with Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh's ticket, also sought to contest there this time but his candidacy was cancelled over alleged loan default.