Awami League will start distributing application forms from Wednesday for the party’s nomination in elections to five parliamentary seats,  left vacant after BNP MPs resignation. By-polls to the five parliamentary seats will be held on February 1 next year. Read more: By-elections to 5 vacant seats of BNP MPs on Feb 1, 2023 The aspirants were asked to collect and submit the forms from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi political office from 10.30am to 4.30pm on December 28-31, said an AL press release. The aspirants also asked to maintain health protocols and not to make crowd during the collection and submission of the application froms. The aspirants have to bring the photocopy of their respective national identity cards to collect the nomination forms. The Election Commission (EC) announced the schedule of the by-elections on December 18.  Read more: 5 parliamentary seats now vacant after BNP MPs’ resignation: Speaker EC will conduct the by-polls to parliamentary seats -- Thakurgaon-3, Bogura-4, Bogura-6, Chapainawabganj-2 and Brahmanbaria-2. The EC secretary said candidates can submit their nomination papers till January 5. Returning officers will scrutinize the nomination papers on January 8 and January 15 has been set as the last date for withdrawal of candidature.

The Election Commission (EC) will announce the schedule of the by-elections to the vacant parliamentary seats of the BNP MPs on December 18 , said Election Commissioner Md Alamgir on Thursday. He said this while talking to journalists at the Election Commission office at Agargaon in the city. “We have a meeting on Sunday and discussion will be held on the by-election  to vacant seats,” he said. Read more: BNP MPs' decision to resign a 'mistake': Obaidul Quader The by-election schedule will be announced after the meeting, he added. On December 11, five out of seven BNP members of the parliament (MPs) submitted their resignation to Speaker of Parliament Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, as part of their anti-government movement with a 10-point demand that includes dissolution of parliament. The MPs who resigned are: Md. Zahidur Rahman, Thakurgaon-3; Md. Mosharof Hosen, Bogura-4; Gulam Mohammad Siraj, Bogura-6; Md. Aminul Islam, Chapainawabganj-2 and Rumeen Farhana, from women’s reserved seats. Read more: 5 BNP MPs’ resignation: Election to vacant seats within 90 days, EC says Md. Harunur Rashid of Chapainawabganj-3, who is now in Australia and ailing MP of Brahmanbaria-2 Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan could not submit resignation to the Speaker in person. The MPs sent their resignation through an email on the same day.