The ruling BNP on Sunday collected two nomination forms for the upcoming presidential election.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni collected the forms from the Returning Officer’s office in the Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon.
Speaking to the media, Moni said they collected two forms for the same candidate to avoid any mistakes or omissions in the nomination process.
“We have taken the forms for one person, but collected two so that there is no error or omission. The forms have not been collected in anyone’s name,” he said.
The chief whip said the party will submit the nomination papers according to the election schedule.
In 2023, the then ruling Awami League also collected two nomination forms for the presidential election. Two nomination papers were submitted in the name of then presidential candidate Mohammed Shahabuddin, with one being declared valid and the other automatically cancelled.
There is no restriction on collecting or submitting more than one nomination paper for a single candidate.
Earlier on August 6, the EC announced the schedule for the presidential election, setting August 20 as the voting date, following the resignation of Shahabuddin as President on July 24.
According to the schedule, nomination papers can be submitted from 10:00am to 4:00pm on August 13, while scrutiny of the nomination papers will be held on August 16. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is August 18.
If there is more than one candidate, voting will be held from 2:00pm to 5:00pm on August 20 in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
The 11-party alliance, led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, has already announced that it will field a candidate for the presidential election. On Sunday, it chose Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmad as its presidential election candidate.
If the contest takes place, it will be the first presidential election involving more than one candidate since 1991, when the parliamentary system was restored.
In the 1991 election, BNP candidate Abdur Rahman Biswas defeated Awami League candidate Badrul Haider Chowdhury. In subsequent presidential elections, candidates nominated by the ruling parties were elected unopposed.
As the President is elected by Members of Parliament, the BNP candidate is expected to secure victory due to the party’s single majority in Parliament.
Article 70 of the Constitution prevents lawmakers from voting against their respective political parties in Parliament.
If Parliament is not in session, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin will convene a one-day sitting in consultation with the Speaker.
If more than one candidate remains in the race, the CEC will convene the sitting seven days before the scheduled polling date. The sitting, however, will not be considered a regular parliamentary session.