United News of Bangladesh

More than 600 aspirants have collected nomination forms from the BNP for the reserved women’s seats in the 13th Parliament. BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi shared the information at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office on Saturday morning. He said over 500 forms were sold on the first day and the sale and submission of forms would continue until Sunday. “Our nomination process has started. Interested candidates are collecting forms, filling them up and submitting them with the required documents,” Rizvi said. Later in the day, BNP Assistant Office Secretary Tarikul Islam Tenzing said the number of forms sold crossed 600 as of Saturday noon, while around 78 to 79 forms were submitted so far. Party leaders said a board formed with senior leaders will review the applications and finalise the candidates. Rizvi said the party is following its usual democratic practices in selecting candidates. “We expect the process to follow democratic norms, as BNP has always done in choosing its parliamentary candidates,” he said. The BNP leader said expectations among the aspirations are high this time after a long struggle. “This expectation is high because we have reached this stage after going through a very difficult situation for the last 16 to 17 years. We had to fight for a long time to ensure a free and fair election. After 15 to 16 years of struggle, we now have an environment to practise democratic norms, and we must make the best use of it,” Rizvi added. Talking about the final selection of candidates, he said women have played a significant role in the party’s past movements. “Many women faced repression. Some were arrested late at night for expressing their views on Facebook. Those active on the streets faced severe harassment, repression and false cases. They have endured continuous suffering,” the BNP leader said. He expressed hope that those who have contributed to the party’s long movements and have the ability to speak in Parliament and maintain a good public image will be considered. Rizvi also said the process would be completed quickly due to time constraints. “Time is short. We have to complete the party’s process quickly, as the final candidates will need to complete formalities with the Election Commission.” On Saturday, teachers, lawyers, cultural figures and former student leaders alongside Mohila Dal leaders were seen collecting nomination forms from the Nayapaltan office. Among them are singer Kanak Chapa, Bithika Binte Hossain, wife of late Swechchhasebak Dal president Shafiqul Bari Babu, and several former MPs. The nomination form costs Tk 2,000, and candidates must deposit Tk 50,000 as security when submitting the form. The Election Commission earlier announced the schedule for the reserved women’s seats election. The deadline for submission of nomination papers is April 21, while scrutiny will take place on April 22 and 23. Appeals can be filed on April 26, and will be settled between April 27 and 28. Symbols will be allotted on April 30, and voting will be held on May 12. According to the seat distribution, the BNP alliance is expected to get 36 seats, Jamaat-e-Islami alliance 13 seats, and independents one seat.

The BNP on Friday started selling party nomination forms for the reserved women’s seats in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad. The programme formally began around 11:00am at the party’s Nayapaltan central office, inaugurated by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. Addressing aspiring candidates, Rizvi said the party’s parliamentary board will select nominees based on their political contributions, particularly their roles in movements over the past 16-17 years, along with leadership qualities and the ability to speak effectively in Parliament. He urged party leaders and activists to accept the board’s decisions, warning against creating internal divisions over nominations. “Everyone must respect the party’s decision,” Rizvi said, adding that leaders and activists have made significant sacrifices for the party. He also said nomination forms will be sold until April 12 and must be submitted within this stipulated time. Several hundred women leaders gathered at the party office to collect forms, each paying Tk 2,000, unfolding scenes of enthusiasm and emotion. Rizvi handed over the first nomination form to Jerin Delwar Hossain and the second one to Fatema Asad, wife of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal founding convener Kazi Asaduzzaman Asad. Earlier, the Election Commission announced the election schedule on Wednesday, setting May 12 as the voting date. The deadline for submission of nomination papers is April 21, while scrutiny will take place on April 22-23. The last date for filing appeals against the acceptance and rejection of nomination papers by the returning officer is April 26, while appeals will be disposed of on April 27-28. The deadline for withdrawal of candidature is April 29, and election symbols will be allocated on April 30. Voting by MPs will be held on May 12. The reserved seats are filled through an indirect election system based on the proportional representation of political parties in the 300 general seats. MPs are required to vote if there is more than one candidate for a seat. However, voting is usually not needed, as parties generally nominate candidates equal to their allocated seats. According to the EC, BNP and its allies will receive 36 seats, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its alliance partners 13 seats, and independent lawmakers one seat, making a total of 50. As per the law, the EC must hold elections for the reserved women’s seats within 90 days of the gazette notification of the general election results, which was issued on February 13, the day after the election.