The 13th parliamentary election – scheduled for 12 February – has recorded the highest number of candidates among the last five general elections.
According to the Election Commission’s (EC) final statistics, 1,981 candidates are contesting the polls, the highest since the 1996 election.
This is also the fourth-highest candidate count in the country’s electoral history. The record was set in the fifth parliamentary election, when 2,787 candidates contested, according to EC reports.
EC data shows that 51 of the 59 registered political parties are participating in the election. The Awami League is unable to contest as it remains under a ban on political activities, while several parties have voluntarily boycotted the polls.
Bangladesh Samyabadi Dal (ML), Krishak Sramik Janata League, Bangladesh National Awami Party, Workers’ Party, Bikalpadhara Bangladesh, Bangladesh Tariqat Federation, Trinamool BNP and Bangladesh Nationalist Movement (BNM) have not participated in the election.
Despite their absence, competition remains intense. After the withdrawal deadline, 1,981 candidates are in the race across 298 constituencies, including 1,732 contesting under party symbols and 249 independents.
Candidate information for the Pabna-1 and Pabna-2 constituencies, where polls were delayed due to boundary complications, will be added after 27 January, after which the final list will be updated.
According to the EC, BNP has fielded the highest number of candidates – 288 – under the Sheaf of Paddy symbol. Islami Andolan Bangladesh follows with 253 candidates, while Jamaat-e-Islami has nominated 224 under the Scales symbol.
The Jatiya Party (JaPa) has fielded 192 candidates, while the National Citizen Party (NCP) has nominated 32.
Parties and candidates in previous parliamentary elections
In the 12th parliamentary election held in January 2024, 28 parties participated. Following court orders restoring candidacies, the total number of candidates stood at 1,969, including 1,534 party-backed and 436 independents.
The Awami League fielded the highest number that year with 266 candidates, followed by the Jatiya Party with 265, Trinamool BNP with 135, National People’s Party with 122, Krishak Sramik Janata League with 30 and Bangladesh Workers’ Party with 26.
In the 11th parliamentary election in December 2018, 1,861 candidates from 39 parties contested, including 1,733 party candidates and 128 independents. BNP fielded 257 candidates, while the Awami League fielded 260.
The 10th parliamentary election in 2014 saw 12 parties participate. Candidates were elected unopposed in 153 constituencies, while 390 candidates, including 104 independents, contested the remaining 147 seats.
After the introduction of party registration in 2008, the ninth parliamentary election saw 28 parties contest with 1,567 candidates. The Awami League and BNP each fielded 264 candidates, followed by the Jatiya Party with 49 and Jamaat-e-Islami with 39.
Before registration was introduced, 55 parties contested the eighth parliamentary election, which had 1,939 candidates. The Awami League fielded 300 candidates, BNP 252 and Jamaat-e-Islami 31.
Earlier elections saw 2,572 candidates from 81 parties in the seventh election and 1,450 candidates from 42 parties in the sixth. The fifth parliamentary election in 1991 had 2,787 candidates from 75 parties and independents, followed by 1,192 in 1988, 1,980 in 1986, 2,547 in 1979 and 1,209 in the first parliamentary election.
EC officials said increased flexibility during appeal hearings played a significant role in the rise in candidate numbers. Concessions were allowed in cases involving dual citizenship, loan default and independent candidacies, while the requirement for signatures from one per cent of voters was also relaxed in some cases.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin has said that the objective was to ensure a participatory election. “We want everyone to be able to take part, and some concessions have been made to achieve that. Cooperation from all, including the media, is needed to hold a credible election,” he said.
Candidates fielded by contesting parties
Among the 51 parties in the race, BNP leads with 288 candidates, followed by Islami Andolan Bangladesh with 253, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami with 224 and the Jatiya Party with 192.
Other notable parties include Gono Odhikar Parishad with 90 candidates, the Communist Party of Bangladesh with 65, Insaniyat Biplob Bangladesh with 42 and the Socialist Party of Bangladesh (Basad) with 39.
Mid-range participation includes Amar Bangladesh Party with 30 candidates, the National Citizen Party with 32, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish with 34, Bangladesh Islami Front with 26 and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal–JSD with 26, while the remaining parties have fielded between one and 23 candidates each.
