On Sunday, the nation's 12th parliamentary election is scheduled to occur. While there is nothing new about being a Member of Parliament in the entertainment and sports industries, several celebrities have entered the race as candidates this time around.
Awami League, which is in power, has nominated some of them as independent candidates, while others are running as party candidates. These candidates went beyond the norm and canvassed neighborhoods day and night in an effort to get votes.
As the election approaches, an examination of recent observations suggests that popular actor Ferdous Ahmed in the Dhaka-10 constituency, former captain of the Bangladesh cricket team Mashrafe Bin Mortaza in Narail-2, and current captain of the national team Shakib Al Hasan in Magura-1 are the most well-liked candidates in their respective seats, each with the Awami League's "Nouka" (boat) symbol, with little or no opposition.
Even after the Awami League nominated renowned thespian and former minister of cultural affairs Asaduzzaman Noor for the Nilphamari-2 seat and singer Momtaz Begum for the Manikganj-2 seat, the other celebrity candidates would still have a difficult battle ahead of them.
Popular singer-musician Nakul Kumar Biswas, who gained fame from the magazine show "Ittyadi," is running as an independent candidate for Rajshahi-1, while Doli Sayontoni, a popular singer and candidate for the Bangladesh Nationalist Movement (BNM), is running from Pabna-2. Mahiya Mahi, an actress from Dhallywood, is running as an independent candidate for Rajshahi-1 after the Awami League rejected her nomination.
Five parties' candidates, including the Awami League, are running in Dhaka-10, one of the capital's most important constituencies. With the exception of Awami League rookie sensation Ferdous, the other contenders in the race are not particularly noticeable. The majority of local voters predict Ferdous to win this seat handily.
Asaduzzaman Noor, a former minister of cultural affairs, is a fifth-time candidate for the Awami League in the Nilphamari-2 (Sadar) constituency. He has been challenged in the previous four elections by candidates from the heavily-presenced Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh. But Noor has made a name for himself in this field as a highly regarded contender.
This time, Zainal Abedin, an independent and courageous liberation fighter, would be his major opponent. Other contenders include Bangladesh Congress candidate Morchalin Islam, vice president of the district Jatiya Party and president of the district Motor Malik Group, Shahjahan Chowdhury. The locals predict that this time around, there will be fierce competition for this particular seat.
For the third time, folk musician Momtaz Begum was selected by the Awami League to represent the Manikganj-2 constituency. She will, however, be up against fierce competition this time around from eleven other contenders for this position. Together with Momotaz, strong independent candidates for this seat include Dewan Shafiul Arefin Tutul, a former national football player of Bangladesh and the former Youth and Sports Affairs Secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League; Dewan Zahid Ahmed Tulu, a former district treasurer of the Awami League; and Sahabuddin Ahmed Chanchal, the leader of the Awami Secha Sebok League.
Popular actress Mahiya Mahi is running as an independent for the Rajshahi-1 seat after being turned down for the Awami League nomination from Chapainawabganj-2. Actress Mahiya Mahi (Truck), present lawmaker Omar Farooq Chowdhury (Boat), and three prominent independent candidates, Shahnewaz Ayesha Akhtar (Balloon), Md Golam Rabbani (scissors), and Md Akhtaruzzaman (Eagle), are among the eleven candidates vying for this Rajshahi seat.
The National People's Party's Nurunnessa (Mango), the Jatiya Party's Shamsuddin (Plough), the Trinamool BNP's Jamal Khan (Golden Scale), the Bangladesh Cultural Liberation Party's Bashir Ahmed (Stick), and the Bangladesh Nationalist Front and Bangladesh Nationalist Movement's Al Samad (Television) are the other candidates from the participating parties in this constituency.
BNM's candidate for the Pabna-2 seat, well-known musician Doli Sayontoni, has been quite active during her campaign. At the behest of the voters, she has been seen walking around the corners requesting votes while performing songs. Despite the fact that she faces eight opponents in this constituency, she told the reporters that she expected to win tomorrow.
Nakul Kumar Biswas, a well-known musician, ran as a candidate for the Krishak Sramik Janata League in the Barisal-2 seat, using the symbol for a towel, or "Gamchha." Despite being a rookie, he has given voters a number of assurances. That being stated, he faces off against the president of the Bangladesh Workers Party, Faiyazul Haque, the grandson of Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Haque, and Rashed Khan Menon, a candidate backed by the Awami League.
Mashrafe Bin Mortuza, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, is one of the famous candidates running for the Narail-2 seat on the Awami League ticket for the second time. Syed Faizul Amir Litu, an independent who is a former general secretary of the Upazila Awami League and chairman of the Lohagara Upazila Parishad, is one of the seven candidates running against Mashrafe for this seat. Despite this, Mashrafe is still expected to win because of his widespread support from voters.
Shakib Al Hasan, the captain of the current national cricket team and the best all-round cricket player in the world, is up against four other candidates for the Magura-1 parliamentary seat. The candidates are Kazi Rejaul Hossain of the Bangladesh Congress, Sanjay Kumar Roy of the Trinamool BNP, KM Motasim Billah of the Bangladesh Nationalist Front, and Md Sirajus Sayefin of the Jatiya Party. Locals predict that Shakib won't have any real opposition from any of these contenders.
Comment: