The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), arguably the largest political party in the country, has initiated a process to finalise the selection of its candidates to contest the 13th national elections before the declaration of the polls by the Election Commission.
The schedule for the parliamentary elections, slated for the first half of February next year, is expected to be declared in December.
As part of the process, top leaders are bringing nomination hopefuls from across the country to the capital, Dhaka, and holding separate meetings with them, several BNP leaders confirmed to TIMES of Bangladesh. Potential candidates are also being given guidelines.
It has also been decided to prepare a preliminary final list of candidates by the end of October or early November. The final list will be published after the election schedule is declared. These decisions are being made under the supervision of BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, who has been living in London since 2007.
Senior BNP leaders believe that the party, embroiled in internal conflicts, will turn around politically through the nomination process.
Tarique has held several meetings with the political parties that partnered with the BNP in the movement against the Awami League over the last 17 years. The exiled leader wants to quickly resolve the issue of seat-sharing with the presidents and general secretaries of the like-minded parties. Tarique will decide how many seats will be shared with these parties.
Plans are also being made to ensure active participation of the party’s leaders and activists in the election campaign. There will be strict monitoring to ensure that there is no disruption or deterioration of law and order during the campaign. The leaders and activists have been instructed to work together according to the party’s decision, even if they do not secure nominations. The nomination seekers, with whom the party high command met, have pledged not to violate party discipline and have agreed to provide a written guarantee for that.
Many families of BNP leaders have multiple qualified candidates. They are putting up posters seeking nominations in different constituencies and asking for votes. This has been a problem in some constituencies due to multiple candidates. To solve this, some Standing Committee members are working division-wise. Divisional organising secretaries, district presidents, and general secretaries are assisting the senior leaders.
Potential candidates from Barishal, Cumilla, and Rajshahi regions have already been brought to Dhaka for meetings. Information has been taken from them about the situation in their constituencies and their standing.
Those considered suitable have been instructed to form public opinion in their respective constituencies.
Recently, Tarique said at a virtual party meeting that if there is any problem with the preparation for the election, they should contact him in London. Since then, many leaders have been directly contacting him and sending information about their constituencies. Some nomination seekers are making accusations against each other.
People concerned are being called to Dhaka for meetings to verify the accusations.
Several top BNP leaders told the correspondent that there are problems within the party, but there are also solutions. BNP’s organisational capacity is being strengthened ahead of the next elections, and preparations are being made for the elections.
For this, the party’s top leaders hold meetings with nomination seekers every week. Acting chairman Tarique is joining virtually from London in almost every meeting. He has instructed that candidates be finalised before the announcement of the election schedule. And the candidate selection process is underway.
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed told TIMES of Bangladesh that the party has multiple qualified candidates for every seat across the country, and there is competition among them.
Ultimately, a single candidate will secure the nomination, which is why many candidates are being called to Dhaka for discussions, he said, stressing that everyone will work according to the decision taken by the party’s election nomination board.
