PABNA: A total of 146 leaders of Bera upazila uint Jamaat-e-Islami unit, including upazila and puorashava Ameers, resigned en masse Friday night.

The mass resignation came after the party decided to withdraw its chairman candidate from the upazila election, to be held on March 31, and ask the party men to work for Bangladesh Nationalist Party-backed runner there.

The upazila leaders took the decision at an emergency meeting at 8:00pm Friday.

Confirming the matter, Bera unit Jamaat secretary Ataur Rahman told banglanews “Jamaat-nominated contender Dr. Abdul Basit, also upazila unit Ameer, has been campaigning with ‘horse’ symbol in the election.”

“All of a sudden on Friday morning, district Jamaat  Ameer Abdur Rahim asked his party men  to work for BNP-backed contender and to withdraw party candidacy,” he added.

Later, they sat on the meeting and came up with the decision to resign en masse; the resign letters were sent to the district and the central.

When trying to contact with Abdul Basit over mobile phone, he was not available.

District nayeb-e-ameer Moulana Johurul Islam told Banglanews he knows the matter and it might happen for intra-party conflict in the local level.

BDST: 0938 HRS, MAR 22, 2014