The BNP party has officially started the internal selection process to choose candidates for the upcoming election for women’s reserved seats in the 13th National Parliament by commencing the sale of party nomination forms. The election is scheduled to take place on May 12.
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, the senior joint secretary general of BNP, launched the sale of nomination forms at the party’s central office in Nayapaltan at 11:00 am. The nomination forms will be available for purchase until Sunday, and candidates must submit their forms within the same timeframe.
During the launch, Rizvi informed the aspirants that the BNP’s parliamentary board will make the final decision based on various factors such as their political background, involvement in the party’s activities over the past 16-17 years, personal capabilities, parliamentary speaking skills, and other relevant aspects.
Rizvi urged the aspirants to respect the party’s decision and refrain from causing any disputes over the final nominations. He emphasized the importance of maintaining discipline and unity within the party, stating that disagreements should be avoided if some candidates are not selected.
As the process began, Rizvi presented the first nomination form to Zareen Delawar and subsequently distributed forms to other aspirants including Nipun Roy Chowdhury, Arifa Sultana Ruma, Sabina Khan, Shawkat Ara Akhter, Rokeya Chowdhury Baby, Mina Begum, Farida Yasmin, Meherunnesa Haque, and Peyara Mostofa.
On the initial day, more than 500 nomination forms were collected by aspiring candidates, as confirmed by BNP Media Cell member Shayrul Kabir Khan. The aspirants expressed confidence in the party’s fair evaluation of their efforts and pledged to accept the party’s final decision.
A large gathering of women leaders from BNP congregated at the Nayapaltan office to obtain nomination forms. Many queued up and paid Tk 2,000 each to receive the necessary receipt for the form.
The Election Commission announced the election schedule for the women’s reserved seats on Wednesday. Nomination papers can be submitted until April 21, with scrutiny taking place on April 22-23. Appeals against the scrutiny decision can be lodged on April 26, and the resolution of appeals will occur on April 27-28. Symbol allocation to the final candidates will be done on April 30.
The Election Commission assured that all arrangements for conducting the election in a peaceful and organized manner have been finalized. In terms of seat distribution, the BNP-led alliance is set to receive 36 reserved seats, the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance will be allocated 13 seats, and independents will secure one seat.
