B'desh cricketer Mashrafe Mortaza begins campaigning from home constituency

Mashrafe Mortaza, captain of Bangladesh cricket team in ODIs, has begun the electoral campaign for BAL for the ensuing parliamentary elections from his home constituency Narail.

Mortaza received a hero's welcome from thousands of his fans and supporters who had gathered at Kalna Ghat in the city to catch a glimpse of the fast bowler campaigning for the ruling Bangladesh Awami League (BAL), Dhaka Tribune reported.

Mortaza is a candidate in the 11th General Elections in Bangladesh and is contesting the poll from Narail-2 constituency on the BAL's ticket.

During his campaigning on Saturday, the renowned cricketer took part in several street rallies in his motorcade. He urged the people on his way to vote for the 'boat,' the electoral symbol of the BAL. The polling is scheduled for December 30.

The 35-year-old all-rounder also paid floral tribute to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, commonly hailed as Bangabandhu, the founder of Bangladesh.

Mortaza also participated in a meeting with the leaders of the Awami League at the party's district office in Narail.

Talking about his decision to enter politics, Mortaza wrote on his Facebook page: "I always believed the development of the country without politics is not very strongly possible. I played cricket, got your love. Otherwise, I would have lost in 2011. The love that I received from you in 2011 helped me run for seven years. Now I have a chance to do something for the people of my country."

The Awami League-led Grand Alliance has locked horns against the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led Jatiya Oikya Front (National Unity Front) and Left Democratic Alliance, where 300 constituencies of the 350-member Parliament are up for grabs. Incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is seeking to win a third term.

Almost 104.2 million registered voters will cast their votes at about 40,000 polling stations to elect their representatives from across the country.