Turning a deaf ear to anti-election campaigns, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is moving forward with the firm belief that the next national parliamentary election will be held in February next year.
As part of election preparations, aspirants are travelling to constituencies to drum up public support for the sheaf of paddy, the electoral symbol of the BNP, which has been out of office since 2006.
Apart from seeking votes, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and BNP liaison committee members, including Nazrul Islam Khan and Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, are regularly holding meetings with leaders of like-minded political parties to forge a strong alliance to contest the upcoming polls.
BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, who considers the upcoming election a tough one, is joining those meetings virtually from London. Party insiders say Tarique has already held discussions with the leaders of those parties that had met the liaison committee. Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has announced that the 13th parliamentary election will be held before Ramadan next year, and his office has also sent a letter requesting the Election Commission (EC) to prepare for conducting the polls in the first half of the February.
After receiving the signal from the government, the EC stated it would announce the election schedule in the first half of December.
CA’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said on Friday that the national election would be held in February, as announced by Yunus, and that there was no possibility of postponement. “There is no doubt about the February election. The Election Commission has already started its work. Those who are casting doubts have nothing to worry about,” he said.
Amid the BNP’s ongoing preparations for the polls, Tarique recently held a joint meeting with the 12-Party Alliance, the LDP, Ganatantra Mancha, Democratic Left Unity, and others at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan political office. Insiders say the BNP acting chairman will soon begin talks with political parties over the issue of seat-sharing once the election roadmap is announced.
Although the BNP has sought a list of aspirants from like-minded parties, final decisions will be made after the announcement of the election schedule, according to party sources. During the meetings, leaders from both sides expressed hope for a free, fair and credible election. They also pledged to extend constant cooperation with the interim government so that no one could create obstacles to holding the polls.
If necessary, they said they would take to the streets to resist any quarters opposing the polls. These allies have been part of the BNP’s movement against the Awami League government for the last 17 years.
When asked whether the election would be held on time, Mirza Fakhrul told TIMES of Bangladesh that the chief adviser had set February for the polls and his office had already sent a letter requesting the EC to conduct the polls before Ramadan. “We are taking election preparations keeping February in mind,” he said.
The BNP leader said Yunus is a respected global figure. “Failure to hold the election on time will be the failure of the government,” he added.
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said Tarique’s meetings with allies are all based on the February target, as both the government and the EC are preparing for that timeline.
“The BNP is focusing on forging alliances with parties that have been active in the pro-democracy movement,” he said, adding that seat-sharing talks will start after the announcement of the poll schedule.
Mustafa Jamal Haider, chairman of the Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar) and head of the 12-Party Alliance, said Tarique had stressed maintaining anti-fascist unity and preparing for February.
Speaking to TIMES of Bangladesh, LDP faction chairman Shahadat Hossain Selim and National Labour Party chairman Mostafizur Rahman also said they had been preparing for February despite conspiracies against the polls.