BNP to finalise candidates for 200 constituencies by October
The party sees little complexity in approximately 150 seats
The BNP is set to finalise its candidates for 200 constituencies for the upcoming National Parliament election within the current month, according to party insiders.
The process involves giving selected candidates the "green light" to begin their campaigns.
The decision was reached during a Standing Committee meeting held at the BNP Chairperson's political office in Gulshan on Monday night.
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Internally, several Standing Committee members have advised the party's high command to announce these nominations officially. They argued that a formal declaration is necessary to avoid confusion and internal feuding, which could cause nominated candidates to fall behind in the electoral field.
Salahuddin Ahmed, a BNP Standing Committee member, confirmed the timeline to TBS. "The candidates will be given the green light within this month," he said.
Rigorous selection process
Meeting sources said that BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has overseen a thorough selection process, which included five internal surveys and input from the party's divisional organising secretaries.
The party sees little complexity in approximately 150 seats, where candidacies are largely settled. However, over 100 constituencies are considered "complex" due to the presence of multiple candidates and internal grouping.
To resolve these conflicts, Tarique has reportedly issued strict instructions, summoning candidates from these complex areas to the central office and demanding they unite and work cohesively for the final party nominee.
Concern over EC panel
Separately, the BNP expressed serious concern over the Election Commission's (EC) initiative to prepare a "panel of polling officers" within the current month.
The party fears that the majority of officials being listed for polling duties are former members of Chhatra Shibir or current sympathisers of Jamaat-e-Islami. The BNP believes that if this list is implemented, these officials could potentially skew the election results in favour of Jamaat, thereby raising serious questions about the election's fairness.
To address this, the BNP is scheduled to meet the chief election commissioner (CEC) today to request necessary action and demand that the panel be prepared using strictly neutral personnel.
