Today, Monday, is the last day for submitting nomination papers for the 13th national parliamentary election. For the first time, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who is currently under treatment at Evercare Hospital, has used her thumbprint instead of a signature on the nomination papers, according to sources concerned.
The BNP chairperson will contest from three constituencies in the upcoming election. These are Bogura-7, Dinajpur-3, and Feni-1. Among these, for the Dinajpur-3 constituency, district BNP president Mofazzal Hossain Dulal and general secretary Bakhtiar Ahmed Kochi submitted Khaleda Zia’s nomination papers at the returning officer’s office on Sunday afternoon.
For this constituency, BNP central committee executive member and former mayor of Dinajpur Municipality, Syed Jahangir Alam, has also collected the nomination paper as a candidate.
For the Bogura-7 constituency, BNP chairperson’s adviser and former MP Helal Uzzaman Talukdar Lalu and district BNP president Rezaul Karim, and for Feni-3 constituency, Dhaka Metropolitan South BNP convener Rafiqul Islam Majnu will submit nomination papers on behalf of Khaleda Zia today (Monday).
For Bogura-7 constituency, Gabtali Upazila BNP president Morshed Milton has collected nomination for himself. Additionally, for Feni-1 constituency, Rafiqul Islam Majnu and District BNP’s former vice president Habibur Rahman Nantu also collected nomination papers.
For Bogura-6 constituency on behalf of BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, district BNP president, and for Dhaka-17 constituency in the capital, Tarique Rahman’s chief election coordinator and BNP Chairperson’s adviser Abdus Salam will submit nomination papers.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will contest from Thakurgaon-1 constituency. He has already gone to Thakurgaon to submit nomination paper. Most of the senior central leaders who received BNP nominations will go to their own areas to submit nomination papers.
In many constituencies across the country, besides BNP-nominated candidates, several leaders have also collected nomination papers. Among them, many will also submit nomination papers today.
Additionally, in constituencies of partner parties who received nominations from the BNP-led alliance, some BNP leaders are also submitting nomination papers. In several constituencies, as BNP has not yet announced the candidate’s name, multiple candidates have been asked to submit nomination papers on behalf of the party.
Candidates for these constituencies for BNP and partner parties will be finalised before the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman will contest from Dhaka-15. He is currently staying in the capital. The returning officer for his electoral area is the regional election officer of Dhaka.
Partner parties of the 10-party alliance formed under Jamaat’s leadership have already nominated candidates in various constituencies. All candidates from these constituencies will submit their nomination papers for now. The alliance’s candidates will be finalised before the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers.
Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader is contesting from Rangpur-3. He has gone to Rangpur to submit the nomination papers.
Another faction of Jatiya Party under the leadership of Anisul Islam Mahmud is contesting in the election as part of an alliance with several parties called the National Democratic Front (NDF). Many of the candidates nominated by NDF for over 150 constituencies submitted nomination papers on Sunday. Others will submit nomination papers today.
Nomination papers will be scrutinised between 30 December and 4 January. The last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is 20 January, and the final candidate list will be published the next day, on 21 January.
