BNP allies unhappy over seat-sharing delays, urge quick clarity
Among the newly announced 36 seats, at least five long-time BNP allies have been denied nomination
With the 13th national parliamentary election approaching, the BNP has announced party candidates in 272 constituencies, but it has still not made an official statement about which seats it will leave for its allies.
As a result, many allies feel they are falling behind rival candidates in campaign visibility. They fear that if seat-sharing is not finalised quickly, psychological distance may grow between the BNP and its partners, potentially harming future alliance. For this reason, like-minded groups are demanding an immediate announcement on seat sharing.
Among the newly announced 36 seats, at least five long-time BNP allies have been denied nomination. This has angered and disappointed many of them, and some have even announced they may sever ties with the BNP. They say they stood with the BNP for 15 years in movements demanding the fall of "fascist Sheikh Hasina", but the BNP declared candidates without any consultation with its partners.
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The BNP has still kept 28 seats vacant. Reliable party sources say around 20 of these will be left for parties that joined the joint movement. Decisions on the remaining seats will be taken based on local electoral realities. Several of the vacant seats are considered contentious. In this situation, the BNP may finalise seat-sharing with allies within this week.
BNP Standing Committee member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said discussions with like-minded parties are ongoing. "We will support them. We will not field candidates in the seats where they will contest. This decision will be made through dialogue."
Seats kept for allies
The BNP has already given positive signals for several seats. These include: Pirojpur-1 for Jatiya Party (Zafar) chairman Mostafa Jamal Haider; Dhaka-13 for NDM chairman Bobby Hajjaj; Dhaka-17 for Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) chairman Andaleeve Rahman Partha; Lakshmipur-1 for Bangladesh LDP chairman Shahadat Hossain Selim; Bogura-2 for Nagorik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna; Brahmanbaria-6 for Ganosanghati Andolan chief coordinator Zonayed Saki; Chattogram-14 for LDP chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmed's son Prof Omar Faruk; Cumilla-7 for LDP secretary general Dr Redwan Ahmed; Patuakhali-3 for Gana Adhikar Parishad president Nurul Haque Nur; and Jhenaidah-2 for the party's general secretary Rashed Khan.
In the list of 272 announced seats, the BNP has not nominated anyone in these 10 constituencies. The party has also said that several of these individuals will be selected as alliance candidates, and BNP leaders believe all of them have strong chances of winning.
According to party sources, a few Dhaka seats were kept open for the National Citizen Party (NCP) and for an adviser of the interim government as part of possible negotiations. After talks failed, the BNP announced four candidates in Dhaka in its second phase.
Four like-minded leaders denied nomination
Of the 36 newly announced seats, at least five leaders from three long-time allied parties have been denied BNP nomination. They include Syed Ehsanul Huda, chairman of the National Party, a partner in the 12-party alliance. The BNP had earlier asked him to work in Kishoreganj-5 and even issued a letter instructing party activists to assist him.
In Narail-2, National People's Party (NPP) chairman Dr Fariduzzaman Farhad—coordinator of the Nationalist Like-Minded Alliance—had prepared for the election. He contested from this seat in 2018 with the BNP's symbol, the sheaf of paddy. NPP leaders expected he would receive the nomination again.
Bangladesh Labour Party chairman Mostafizur Rahman Iran had been preparing to contest from Jhalakathi-1.
Gonoforum's acting president Subrata Chowdhury had been preparing to contest Dhaka-6. In 2018, the BNP left this seat for him. This time there had been talk of leaving Dhaka-7 for him, but the BNP ultimately nominated Hamidur Rahman there.
The Bangladesh Labour Party has announced that it is ending its 20-year political relationship with the BNP. Chairman Mostafizur Rahman Iran said the BNP has shown "disregard", "disrespect", and "betrayal" towards its partners. He said the BNP has ignored long-standing political brotherhood, joint struggle and alliance commitments, and is dreaming of going to power alone by excluding allies—behaviour he described as deceptive, dishonourable, and disloyal.
Some exploring new alliances
The five-party platform Ganatantra Mancha participated in joint anti-government movements with the BNP under the one-point demand for the fall of the Awami League government. JSD president ASM Abdur Rob is not seeking to contest this election due to health issues, but his wife, JSD vice-president Tania Rob, has prepared to contest from Lakshmipur-4.
Although the seat remains vacant, the BNP is reluctant to leave it because of the presence of a heavyweight candidate. As a result, the JSD is now considering forming an alliance with the National Citizen Party (NCP) and the AB Party, and has already attended several meetings.
Meanwhile, discussions are ongoing for Sylhet-5 with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh's amir Ubaidullah Faruq; Nilphamari-1 with its secretary general Manjurul Islam Afendi; Brahmanbaria-2 with its vice-president Maulana Junayed Al Habib; Narayanganj-4 with central leader Monir Hossain Kasemi; and Narsingdi-3 (Shibpur) with Gonoforum presidium member advocate AKM Jaglul Haider Afrik. The BNP has not yet announced candidates in these constituencies.
