13th national election: Why four parties fielded only one candidate each?

Four out of the participating 51 political parties could nominate only one candidate each for the 13th national general election on different grounds, including delays in registration, shortage of time, financial limitations, and alliance among parties.  

The parties are the Bangladesh National Awami Party (Bangladesh NAP), the Democratic Party, the Jatiya Ganotantrik Party (Jagpa), and the newly registered Bangladesh Somo Odhikar Party.

The Somo Odhikar Party faced severe time constraints as it had recently secured registration from the Election Commission (EC) and managed to submit the nomination of only one candidate within the deadline.

That sole candidate, Subrata Mondol, is contesting from the Khulna-1 seat.

The party's Chairman Sushanta Chandra Barman told The Business Standard that the party received its registration certificate around 9pm on 24 December, 12 days after the election schedule had been announced.

"Around 26 potential candidates were ready to submit their nomination papers, but most of them missed the deadline by a matter of minutes," he said, alleging that candidates were turned away for being late.

Sushanta Chandra himself was unable to submit his nomination from the Dhaka-6 constituency due to a two-minute delay. "Legally, the EC made the correct decision," he acknowledged, while also noting that stronger publicity regarding the nomination deadline could have helped candidates remain more alert. 

Bangladesh NAP has also nominated only one candidate for the election. Party Secretary General M Golam Mostafa Bhuiyan told TBS that their party initially planned to field candidates in around 70 constituencies.

"However, considering our financial capacity and the overall political situation, we had to limit ourselves to just one seat," he said.

Golam Mostafa also pointed out that the Tk50,000 security deposit required to submit nomination papers, along with campaign expenses, creates a heavy burden for smaller parties. "That is why we prioritised the party chairman's constituency," he added.

Bangladesh NAP Chairman Jebel Rahman Gani is contesting from the Nilphamari-1 constituency.

"Around 26 potential candidates were ready to submit their nomination papers, but most of them missed the deadline by a matter of minutes," Somo Odhikar Party Chairman Sushanta Chandra Barman

The Jagpa has also fielded a single candidate. Party spokesperson and senior vice-president Rashed Pradhan told TBS that his party is participating in the election as part of a 10-party alliance rather than independently.

He said the party's secretary general Iqbal Hossain, who initially expected to contest from a Dinajpur seat, but recently underwent open-heart surgery following a heart attack and was not physically fit to campaign. As a result, the party withdrew from that constituency.

Rashed further said that the Panchagarh-1 seat was left for another alliance partner after joining the Jamaat-led coalition. Although he himself was offered the opportunity to contest from Panchagarh-2, he decided to step aside because a Jamaat-backed candidate had been actively campaigning in the area for a long time.

The Democratic Party has also nominated only one candidate. Dilwar Hossain Bhuiyan is contesting from the Kishoreganj-3 seat, which includes Tarail and Karimganj upazilas.

Speaking to this correspondent, the candidate said, "My party has nominated me, and I am the only candidate from our side. We are a small party. The party chief can better explain why no additional candidates were fielded."

Contacted, Jasmine Tuli, a member of the Electoral Reform Commission and former additional secretary of the EC Secretariat, said that smaller parties typically lack the nationwide organisational networks that major parties maintain across all 300 constituencies.

"Many parties focus on five, ten, or a limited number of seats based on their capacity and manpower. This trend has been seen in past elections as well," she said.

She, however, acknowledged that rising election costs continue to pose a major challenge for small and newly formed political parties.