Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has spent around 12 hours at his party’s Gulshan political office, continuing work until around 3:00am on Sunday, as he oversaw key organisational activities and interviewed aspirants for reserved women’s seats in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad.

According to Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon, the BNP office remained active even long after house lights dimmed across the capital, with the nomination process continuing in full swing until late at night.

The interviews of the party aspirants began at 3:00pm on Saturday at the Gulshan office.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Nazrul Islam Khan, Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku, AZM Zahid Hossain and Selima Rahman were present as members of the nomination board.

Candidates from districts under Dhaka, Chattogram, Cumilla, Sylhet and Mymensingh divisions took part in the interviews, which continued till late at night.

Earlier on Friday, aspirants from Rajshahi, Rangpur, Khulna, Barishal and Faridpur divisions were interviewed.

Party sources said around 900 nomination forms were submitted out of 1,025 sold.

Earlier, the Election Commission on April 8 announced the schedule for the reserved women’s seat election.

According to the schedule, the deadline for submission of nomination papers is April 21, while scrutiny will be held on April 22 and 23. Appeals against scrutiny decisions can be filed on April 26 and will be disposed of on April 27 and 28.

Election symbols will be allotted on April 30, and voting will be held on May 12.

Under the seat distribution, the BNP-led alliance will get 36 seats, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami-aligned bloc 13 seats, and independents one seat.