AL relieved by Jahangir's nomination rejection

Many leaders of the ruling Awami League are relieved after the rejection of Mohammad Jahangir Alam's nomination for the Gazipur City Corporation elections.

Several central leaders of the party told The Business Standard that there is no strong candidate against their nomination and they feel confident about the elections.

They said that after the last mayoral election, Jahangir accumulated a lot of political power. Though dismissed, he maintained a powerful influence in Gazipur with his money.

Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif told The Business Standard that Jahangir is not a factor for the party.

"The party has nominated honest, brave and qualified candidates in each of the cities. Awami League is very strong and united," he added.

However, a central leader of the Awami League, on condition of anonymity, said it would have created an uneasy situation for the party if Jahangir had the chance to be elected as an independent. 

This leader said efforts were made from the policy-making level of Awami League to make Jahangir not participate in the elections.

"But Jahangir assumed that he would be elected mayor again with the support of a large section of the BNP," he said.  

Jahangir's nomination papers were rejected Sunday on the grounds of him being a loan defaulter. 

However, Jahangir's mother, Zayeda Khatun, who is also running for the post of mayor, was declared a valid candidate.

Jahangir submitted his nomination papers on Thursday to run for the post again as an independent candidate.

He was suspended from the post of mayor in November 2021 on charges of corruption, abuse of power and mismanagement. He was also expelled from the Awami League for breaking party discipline.

However, Jahangir was reinstated to the party in January this year, subject to conditions.

Jahangir Alam sought an Awami League nomination to be a candidate for the post of mayor in the Gazipur city elections. However, the party has nominated Metropolitan Awami League President Azmat Ullah Khan.

Meanwhile, Jahangir Alam has called the rejection of his nomination "undemocratic".

"I mortgaged my own land for humanitarian reasons to save an industrial establishment. I did not own the money and the company paid the money. Still, my nomination paper was cancelled which is undemocratic. I did not get impartiality and justice from the commission," Jahangir said, adding he will appeal to the High Court.