Jatiya Party said Wednesday it would not put its support behind any candidates officially in the Gazipur city polls slated for Saturday.
“Reports in the media that Jatiya Party has expressed its support for a certain candidate are false,” a party press release signed by Sunil Shuvoroy, press and political secretary of the party, said Wednesday.
The statement came shortly after main contestants for the mayoral office — Awami League-backed Azmat Ullah Khan and BNP favourite MA Mannan — met JP president HM Ershad on Tuesday and Monday respectively to seek his support.
After emerging from meeting Ershad, both of them said the former military dictator had blessed them for success in the city polls.
Ershad’s support seemingly remained a crucial issue in the Gazipur election after the ruling party’s debacle in the recently held four city corporation elections.
In a reference to those reports, Wednesday’s JP statement said: “Jatiya Party President has blessed both the mayoral candidates but hasn’t expressed his support for any of the two.”
Since the party has no candidate in the election, the local JP leaders and activists could cast their ballots according to their will, it said.
Source: The Daily Star
