In the absence of candidate and party chief Hussein Muhammad Ershad, Jatiya Party activists are relying on the force of his name to press ahead with his election campaign in the Rangpur-3 constituency, reports bdnews24.com.
Meanwhile, Ershad's main rival for the seat, 'paddy sheaf' candidate Rita Rahman has been campaigning in the constituency door to door for votes.
Former President Ershad won four out of the last five election races for the seat since 1991. In his absence, his brother GM Quader won the seat in the 2001 elections.
In a constituency known as a 'plough' stronghold, Rita, the convener of the newly-formed People Party of Bangladesh (PPB), aims to utilise the influence of her father, late Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia, to reclaim the Rangpur-3 seat for the 'paddy sheaf'.
A founding member of the BNP, Jadu Mia was a senior minister in the government of Ziaur Rahman.
While Rita may be a new entrant in the election, her campaign is very organised, according to some voters in the area.
"I am your Jadu Mia's daughter and the 'paddy sheaf' candidate. Vote for me," said Rita while distributing leaflets among voters during her campaign.
Fifty six years old Abu Hanif vowed to vote for Rita because of her father.
"I have been a paddy sheaf supporter since the time of Jadu Mia. I will not be swayed to vote for anyone else,' Abu Hanif said.
Rita also had a message for young voters during her election campaign ahead of the elections.
"When you step forward, the country will be on the right track. You must come forward," said Rita as she handed out leaflets among youths.
However, Rita Rahman's candidacy was not accepted by some local BNP activists, according to some locals.
BNP Rangpur Metropolitan President Mozaffar Hossain and Kawsar Zamam Babla were expecting to receive the nomination for the seat. Local BNP activists labelled Rita as an unwanted candidate when the party nominated her.
While the local leaders eventually reached an understanding with Rita, she hasn't been able to bring everyone on board, said a local BNP leader.
However, Rita Rahman claims that the people of Rangpur will accept her due to their goodwill towards her father and will heed her call for change.
"The people I'm meeting are accepting me as one of their own. I went to a campaign rally on Sunday around 10 pm. Even at that time, the attendance of both men and women was eye catching," she said
"I was surprised that so many people were waiting eagerly to see Jadu Mia's daughter and to hear her speak.
Despite being a perennial MP for this constituency, Ershad failed to pay sufficient attention to this area, opined Rita.
