The Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSoD) faction, led by Hasanul Haq Inu and Shirin Akhter, is all set to retain the party’s electoral symbol torch.
Most of the election commissioners are of the view that the other faction headed by Sharif Nurul Ambia and Nazmul Haque Prodhan was not formed by adhering to the party constitution.
The Election Commission will give its verdict on the allocation of symbol on Wednesday, a week after it heard the versions of the factions and examined documents.
An EC official told bdnews24.com that three commissioners had already given their opinion in favour of the faction led by Information Minister Inu.
The five-strong EC headed by CEC Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad takes all decisions on the basis of majority views.
JaSoD, a key partner of the ruling coalition, suffered a split during its national council on Mar 12, with a group revolting against party President Inu’s attempt to install Shirin Akhter as general secretary.
The rebel group made Ambia and Prodhan their president and general secretary respectively.
Amidst the ongoing Union Parishad elections, both factions wrote to the EC staking claim the ‘torch’ as their polls logo. Each of the factions contended that it was the ‘main’ party.
To settle the dispute, the EC held a hearing on Apr 6 and scrutinised documents of both the factions.
Election Commissioner Md Shah Nawaz told bdnews24.com that it had been established that the Inu-Shirin led faction had been formed through a council election as per the party constitution.
The other committee was not constituted by following norms.
“This is why I have given my views in favour of allotting the registration and the symbol to the committee led by Inu and Shirin,” he said.
Two other commissioners Md Zabed Ali and Md Abu Hafiz, too, gave their opinions in support of Inu-Shirin faction, the EC official said.
“Three commissioners, including myself, have expressed our views. Tomorrow (Wednesday) another commissioner (Abdul Mobarak) will give his opinion. Then a decision will be taken on the basis of majority,” Hafiz told bdnews24.com.
But both the factions are confident of getting the verdict in their favour.
When asked what their stand would be if the EC gave its verdict in favour of Inu-led faction, Ambia told bdnews24.com that in such an eventuality the future course would be decided by their committee.
But he insisted that such situation would not arise.
Executive President of the faction Moinuddin Khan Badal, however, hinted that they would move to the court if they lost at the EC.
Source: Bd news24
