BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed on Friday expressed the hope that their party’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman will return home by November.
“I believe our Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman will return to the country within November. We are waiting for his return,” he told reporters at his Gulshan residence.
When asked whether there is any specific date for Tarique’s return, the BNP leader said, “You’ll know the exact date very soon. But I hope he’ll be back within November.”
Asked about Tarique’s possible constituencies in the next national election, he said the BNP Acting Chairman will surely contest the election as he himself has already said this in interviews.
“The constituencies will be decided later. He can contest from any seat in Bangladesh,” he said.
On whether BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will take part in the upcoming election, Salahuddin said, “We hope our leader Begum Khaleda Zia will decide based on her health condition. We definitely want her to contest the polls.”
The BNP leader also said their party will give the green signal to its candidates in 200 constituencies within this month.
Salahuddin dismisses Jamaat’s call for executive recognition of July Charter
Responding to a question about a possible alliance with the National Citizen Party (NCP), Salahuddin said political discussions are going on, but no formal decision has been made yet.
“Talks are still at the discussion level. Let’s wait and see how things move forward,” he said.
The BNP leader expressed dissatisfaction over the way the Representation of the People Order (RPO) amendment was passed, saying it would discourage small parties from forming alliances.
“We agreed to several clauses of the RPO amendment. Under sub-clause 20(1), if a party joins an alliance, it can contest under another party’s symbol. Most parties supported this change,” he said.
Salahuddin said they were confident that this would be considered. “But the way the RPO has been passed will discourage smaller parties from forming alliances. As a result, many senior leaders of small parties will lose opportunities.”
Salahuddin says attempts to pit BNP against July Uprising will fail
He questioned why the RPO was passed unilaterally. “BNP wants a vibrant, multi-party parliament. For the sake of a fair election, I urge the authorities to reconsider this matter.”
Salahuddin said BNP has agreed to introduce a ‘No’ vote option in constituencies with single candidates to ensure no one can win uncontested.
He also informed that BNP will send a formal letter to the Election Commission expressing its objections to certain parts of the RPO amendment.