Ibne Amin :: Mohammad Shahnewaz Rumel, the candidate for the boat symbol, has set a ‘rare record’ by getting only 67 votes in the fourth phase of Chiringa Union Parishad elections held in Chakaria Upazila on Sunday.

The defeated candidate is blaming the non-cooperation of local Awami League MP Zafar Alam of Cox’s Bazar-1 (Chakaria-Pekua) constituency and party leaders and workers for this.

But locals say that just giving a symbol is not enough. You also need some popularity to win.

Moreover, the controversy over the UP election in the Awami League has reached its climax.

Awami rebel candidate Jamal Hossain Chowdhury has been elected chairman of Chiringa Union with 3,655 votes. Another Awami rebel incumbent chairman Jasim Uddin got 2,567 votes and became the nearest candidate. Besides, Jamal Hossain Chowdhury is the Awami League president of that union.

Several Awami League leaders and activists, who did not want to be named, said that the Awami League was already embarrassed in the elections of Kyerbil and Magnama unions due to short-sightedness in the election of candidates. In the election of these embarrassed candidates, the district Awami League did not care about the opinion of the local upazila or the union Awami League.

In the second phase held on 28 November, elections were held in 10 unions of Chakaria upazila. Jannatul Bakeya Rekha was the Awami League candidate in Kyerbil Union in that election. She received only 99 votes.

Similarly, in the Cox’s Bazar-1 (Chakaria-Pekua) parliamentary constituency, Pekua, in the November 28 election, the boat candidate in Magnama Union, Nazem Uddin Naju got only 145 votes.

The elders are of the opinion that these results may be the cause of frustration among the Awami League candidates in the coming days.