Independent MP Candidate Forgets Election Symbol, Picks Up a Bat on the Playground in Manirampur

Abu Raihan, Manirampur Correspondent: Amid intense campaigning for the parliamentary election, candidates and their supporters are spending days and nights seeking votes for their respective symbols. In the midst of this fierce race, setting aside the pressure of electioneering for a brief moment, an MP candidate responded to the call of his childhood and stepped onto a playground—bat in hand. The incident, which has gone viral on social media, involved independent MP candidate M. Iqbal Hossain of the Jashore-5 (Manirampur) constituency. While continuing his campaign with the Pitcher (Kolosh) symbol, he visited the playground of Chakla Government Primary School in...

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Abu Raihan, Manirampur Correspondent:
Amid intense campaigning for the parliamentary election, candidates and their supporters are spending days and nights seeking votes for their respective symbols. In the midst of this fierce race, setting aside the pressure of electioneering for a brief moment, an MP candidate responded to the call of his childhood and stepped onto a playground—bat in hand.
The incident, which has gone viral on social media, involved independent MP candidate M. Iqbal Hossain of the Jashore-5 (Manirampur) constituency. While continuing his campaign with the Pitcher (Kolosh) symbol, he visited the playground of Chakla Government Primary School in the Chakla area on the afternoon of February 3 to seek votes. There, upon seeing children and teenagers engrossed in a game of cricket, he was overwhelmed by nostalgic emotions and spontaneously joined them on the field.
Welcoming the request of a parliamentary candidate to play alongside them, the young players eagerly rushed over, handed him a bat, and placed him at the crease. At one end stood a child bowler with the ball, and at the other, an MP candidate playing one shot after another—big and small alike. For a while, the playground lit up with smiling faces, as age differences faded away. Local people were also seen standing by the field, enjoying the unusual and heartwarming scene.
When videos of the moment were shared on Facebook by supporters of the Pitcher symbol, they quickly went viral. People of all ages flooded social media with emotional comments, reminiscing about their own childhood and adolescent memories.
Speaking to this correspondent over the phone, independent candidate M. Iqbal Hossain said,
“Although a person’s physical and social status changes with time, no one can ever forget their childhood. Seeing the children on the playground, I instinctively reached out, took the bat, and started playing without thinking of anything else. This is childhood—an emotion no human being can ever truly leave behind.”