Some RMG owners, leaders crave party nomination

A number of textiles and readymade garment exporters are vying for nomination of major political parties for contesting in the upcoming 11th National Parliamentary elections.
This correspondent talked to four of the aspirants belonging to the BGMEA and BTMA and talked about their constituencies, party affiliations and preparations for the election.
Engineer Mozaffar Hossain is vying for Jamalpur-5 seat on Awami League ticket.
Mozaffar is a director of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association and managing director of his own business firm SIM Group.
He is hopeful of getting his party nomination as he has been serving both the people and the party over the past decade, he told the Daily Observer recently.
Mozaffar is currently a member of the Jamalpur Awami League District Committee and also a member of the Awami League Central Sub Committee for Relief and Social Welfare.
He intends to work for infrastructural development, improve quality of educational institutions and create employment opportunities for the educated youth in his constituency once elected as a member of parliament.
Rezaul Karim Hira, the incumbent lawmaker from Jamalpur-5, is also eager to contest the 11th parliamentary election on Awami League ticket. He was elected MP from the same constituency in 1996.
In the upcoming election other Awami League nomination seekers for Jamalpur-5 seat are Baki Billah, Babu Bijon Kumar Chanda, Adv Zahid Anwar, Dr Abdul Mannan and six others.
In this constituency BNP is likely to field a candidate this time.
According to sources nomination seekers from Bangladesh Nationalist Party in Jamalpur-5 constituency are Sirajul Haque and Wares Ali Mamun, among others.
Jafar Iqbal Siddeki a former member of parliament from Nilphamari-1 on Jatiya Party (Ershad) ticket in the 9th Parliamentary Elections is hopeful of getting his party ticket for the upcoming 11th National Elections.
Siddeki is managing director of his own company Defoin, a garment manufacturer and printing company.
Talking to this correspondent Siddeki said, "If there is a 14-party led coalition, surely I will get nomination. But I have to face competition if there is no coalition."
The former MP said in the case of no coalition he will face competition from six Awami League, one BNP and one Jatiya Party candidate.
Among the AL candidates Hamida Banu Shova, a former MP from AL and Md Aftab Uddin Sarkar is the current member of parliament.
The constituency covers Dimla Upazila and Domar Upazila in Nilphamari District.
Siddeki, also an entrepreneur in exportable readymade garment sector, says within Jatiya Party (Ershad) he will face NK Alam Chowdhury who was also a member of the parliament in 1996 parliamentary elections at later Shahrin Islam Chowdhury Tuhin from Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
SM Mannan Kochi an entrepreneur and also a politician is an aspirant for Awami League ticket for Dhaka 16 of Mirpur in the upcoming 11th national parliamentary elections.
He has been engaged in politics since his student life and for AL nomination he has to face other formidable aspirants from Awami League.
Mannan is currently vice chairman of the BGMEA, Managing Director, Seha Design (BD) Ltd, governing body member of the FBCCI and senior joint secretary general of Dhaka Mahanagar (Uttar) Awami League.
He hopes he would get the ticket from his party and candidates from BNP or Oikko Jote may be his main competitors.
Mannan who is several times director and vice president of the BGMEA sees no tough competitor from Jatiya Party or any other party rivals.
Mohammad Nasir, a garment exporter as well as a politician, is nomination aspirant for Chattagram 12 (Patiya) from Awami League in the 11th National Parliamentary elections.
He is currently vice president (finance) of the BGMEA and managing director, Evergreen Sweaters Ltd a readymade garments exporting company.
Nasir is actively involved in politics and he is cultural secretary of Chattagram South District Awami League and member, finance and planning sub-committee of Bangladesh Awami League.
The BGMEA leader, also a devoted politician, hopes he will get the final nod from his party in the upcoming national election.
But he is ready to face other nomination aspirants in the seat from AL.
He said he may face competition from current member of the parliament in Chattagram 12 from AL Shamsul Haq Chowdhury and from other parties are BNP's former MP Gazi Shahjahan Jewel and Enamul Haq.
From Jatiya Party (E) the possible candidate may be Sirajul Islam and Maulana Matin from Islami Oikka Front.
Nasir thinks a lot of developmental works are required in his constituency and if he is elected he will try his best for more development of the port city which is a lifeline for the country's economy.