Rashed Khan to contest on BNP symbol, protests erupt in Jhenaidah

Gono Odhikar Parishad general secretary Rashed Khan will join the BNP and contest the election using the party’s electoral symbol, the sheaf of paddy. The matter was confirmed on Friday, December 26, by Abu Hanif, a member of the party’s higher council and its media coordinator.

He said Rashed Khan is resigning from his post and joining the BNP, and will contest the election as a BNP candidate.

Abu Hanif added that the appointment of a new general secretary of Gono Odhikar Parishad will be decided at meetings of the executive and higher councils.

Meanwhile, news of Rashed Khan being selected as a candidate for the Jhenaidah-4 constituency, Kaliganj and parts of Sadar, has angered a section of local BNP leaders and activists.

On Friday afternoon, protesters brought out a procession in Kaliganj town, declaring Rashed Khan unwanted. Many of the demonstrators wore burial shrouds during the protest.

The demonstration was led by senior joint general secretary of the central Swechchhasebak Dal Saiful Islam, also known as Firoz, and Jhenaidah district BNP advisory council member Murshida Zaman Beltu. Both were aspirants for the BNP nomination from the constituency.

Speakers at the protest said it is unacceptable to nominate an “outsider” in a constituency built through years of struggle and movement.

Saiful Islam has also hinted that he may contest as an independent candidate if Rashed Khan is not withdrawn. At the same time, two local Jubo Dal activists have publicly announced their withdrawal from politics, videos of which have spread on social media.