Salahuddin Ahmed, a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) standing committee, has stated that no formal discussions have taken place regarding an alliance with the National Citizen Party (NCP) for the upcoming national elections.
Speaking to the media at his residence in the city’s Gulshan area on Friday afternoon, he said, “Political discussions are ongoing with the NCP, but whether BNP will join an alliance with this party remains to be seen. There have been no formal talks on this issue.”
Salahuddin Ahmed further mentioned, “We agreed on several clauses of the RPO (Representation of the People Order) amendment. However, section 20(1) allowed political parties in an alliance to contest polls under other parties’ symbols. Most parties agreed to a change in this clause.
“Despite assurances, the RPO passed as it is. So, smaller parties are not too keen on forming alliances. This means the major leaders of smaller parties will lose their chances. Why did this pass in such a one-sided manner? BNP wants a multi-party prosperous parliament.”
He also called for a reconsideration in the issue, in the interest of a free and fair election.
Regarding the interim government, he urged the Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus to ensure the neutrality of the government during polls. “We want the government to create an environment where all parties can compete on a level playing field,” he said.
Salahuddin also mentioned that BNP will provide “green signals” to its candidates for 200 constituencies within this month.
In response to a question about whether Tarique Rahman will participate in the elections, he confirmed, “He will definitely participate. He himself has said that the seat will be determined later. He can contest from any seat in the country.”
When asked about Khaleda Zia’s participation, he said, “We hope she will make a decision considering her health condition. We want her to participate in the polls.”
The BNP leader also expressed hopes that Tarique Rahman would return to the country by November, saying, “The specific date will be announced soon.”
