BNP fields 288 candidates, Jamaat 224, and NCP 32 as election race begins
The election, scheduled for 12 February, will see contestants vying for 298 seats, as the final list for Pabna-1 and Pabna-2 will be updated after 27 January.
A total of 1,981 candidates will contest the upcoming 13th national election, according to the Election Commission, with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) fielding the highest number of candidates at 288, followed by Islami Andolan Bangladesh with 253 and Jamaat-e-Islami with 224.
The official document, released yesterday (21 January) by the commission's Planning Wing, details the political parties and organisations registered to take part in the polls, along with their respective electoral symbols and allied groups.
It shows that out of the total 1,981 contenders, 1,732 are party-affiliated while 249 are contesting as independents.
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The election, scheduled for 12 February, will see contestants vying for 298 seats, as the final list for Pabna-1 and Pabna-2 will be updated after 27 January.
According to EC officials, 51 out of 59 registered political parties are in the fray.
The list shows that Jatiyo Party has fielded 192 candidates while the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP) has placed 32 of its leaders.
Other notable participants include Gono Odhikar Parishad with 90 candidates, the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) with 65, and Insaniyat Biplob with 42.
The list includes each registered party and their assigned symbols.
Among the registered parties, those not in the election are: Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist–Leninist); Krishak Sramik Janata League; Bangladesh National Awami Party; Workers Party of Bangladesh; Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh; Bangladesh Tariqat Federation; Trinamool BNP; and Bangladesh Nationalist Movement-BNM.
Of the 59 registered parties, the Bangladesh Awami League is not in the polls as its registration remains suspended.
The total number of voters for the 300 parliamentary seats this time is over 12,77 crore.
According to the official schedule, the election will be held on 12 February. A referendum on the 'July Charter' will also be held on the same day.
Ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary Election, political parties and candidates are launching their formal campaigns from today (22 January).
Yesterday, symbols were allocated among the contending candidates in the constituencies. Election campaigning can be conducted until 48 hours before the start of polling.
