BNP’s early candidate announcement is a strategic move aimed at maintaining momentum and preventing any possible attempts to delay the upcoming parliamentary elections.
According to BNP insiders, it is a well-calculated decision by the party, and there might be advice or influence from other quarters behind it.
The uncertainty surrounding the February national election seems to have eased with this decision. Since BNP announced nominations for 237 constituencies, the political heat has been rising across the country.
In Bangladesh’s electoral history, major parties usually declare their list of candidates after the election schedule is officially announced. This time, however, BNP has broken tradition by announcing its candidates more than a month in advance.
Although there has been no formal explanation from the party, senior leaders have informally said the early announcement will provide time and space to calm the frustration of those who were deprived of nominations.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told TIMES of Bangladesh, “The national election will be held in February, and there’s not much time left.”
“We have completed surveys and verifications of potential candidates and given preliminary nominations to one person per seat. After the election schedule is announced, interviews will be held again to finalise the list,” he added.
Earlier, in a virtual speech on 2 November, BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman said, “People have become anxious, though such anxiety shouldn’t have arisen.”
His remarks further deepened doubts surrounding the upcoming election.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami and a few smaller parties have been trying to stir the field over the issues of the July Charter and the referendum on its implementation.
Political analysts believe this could be a tactic to exert pressure for a postponement of the election — something that had made the BNP concerned.
However, the situation changed after a meeting between Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and the chiefs of the three armed forces. Reliable sources said that Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman emphasised holding the election in February and urged that no complications be created. This message was later conveyed to BNP as well.
Based on that assurance, BNP announced its candidates early. The goal was to create an election atmosphere in the country and to prevent any external forces from exploiting the situation to delay the polls.
Political analysts believe that although this move has somewhat reduced the uncertainty surrounding the election, Jamaat will likely continue to assert its presence on the ground by remaining vocal over the referendum issue.
