BNP Vice-Chairman Shajahan to contest polls with AL ticket

BNP Vice Chairman Shahjahan Omar has said that he would contest in the upcoming national polls with Awami League nomination from Jhalakathi-1.

He said:"I have resigned from the BNP and got Awami League nomination to contest in the elections."

He made the announcement at a press conference in the city's Kawran Bazar on Thursday evening, a day after he was released from the jail on bail.

Biplab Barua, AL office secretary, confirmed the matter.

Earlier this month, Shajahan was arrested in a case filed over setting a bus on fire in Dhaka's New Market area . He walked out of jail on bail on Wednesday.

Farhana Yasmin, assistant returning officer of Rajapur upazila, said that Shajahan submitted his nomination papers for Jhalakathi-1 online from Awami League.

Bazlul Haque Harun, the incumbent AL MP in the constituency, also submitted his nomination papers from the ruling party.

When asked if he is joining Awami League by force, the senior Lawyer of the supreme court Barrister Muhammad Shahjahan Omar BirUttam told the media that he rendered his retirement to the BNP last year. However, he continues to attend important party programmes following requests from the senior leaders of the party.

Asked if he was granted conditional bail for joining polls, he said he got the bail as being a senior lawyer of supreme court.

Asked why he joined the election and left BNP he said as he has some commitments towards his local supporters, he decided to join the polls.

“But I can not go with any small party. So, when Awami League asked me to join them today morning (Thursday) and so, after discussing it with my family, I took the opportunities,” he added.