JP leaders, who had divided over Ershad's willingness to contest the by-election in Gaibandha-4 scheduled for May 9, at a meeting yesterday convinced the party chief to change his decision.

"The party chief will not contest the by-polls. The party will nominate its candidate," JP Presidium member Kazi Firoz Rashid told The Daily Star yesterday.

The meeting also decided to start a month long election campaigning across the country. The tour schedule will be declared in a couple of days.

Ershad was convicted in the Janata Tower case and has been barred from contesting elections.

Under the laws of the land, one cannot contest a national election within five years of execution of a punishment for criminal offence.

Ershad recently declared that he would contest in the by-polls as the restriction on him expired.

The Gaibandha-4 constituency fell vacant after ruling BNP MP Abdul Mottaleb died of a heart attack on March 11, 2006.