By-elections to the five parliamentary seats, left vacant after BNP MPs resigned, will be held on February 1, 2023. The Election Commission (EC) announced the schedule of the by-elections on Sunday after a meeting.  Read more: BNP MPs’ vacant seats: EC to announce schedule of by-polls Nov 18 The election schedule was finalised at a meeting of the EC with Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal in the chair. 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. 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. Read more: Gaibandha-5 by-polls: EC to take action against 133 officials The MPs who resigned were: 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. Md. Harunur Rashid of Chapainawabganj-3, who is now in Australia and the ailing MP of Brahmanbaria-2 Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan could not submit their resignations to the Speaker in person. The seven MPs sent their resignations through email on the same day. The Parliament Secretariat published a gazette notification announcing the parliamentary seats as vacant after their resignation.

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Monday said the BNP’s MPs made a mistake by resigning from the parliament and they will realise their mistake soon. “BNP has drawn a graph of making everything stand still on December 10 but instead they got immobilised. The BNP MPs resigned but to boycott in such a way is a mistake. They will realise their mistake soon,” he said while addressing the Chattogram South District unit Awami League triennial council held at MA Aziz Gymnasium Stadium in Chattogram, after joining virtually. Talking about the BNP’s 10-point demand, the Road Transport and Bridges Minister said there is nothing new in their demand, all are old and whether any will be taken under consideration will be checked. The election will be held as per the constitution and Election Commission is the main strength of conducting the election. The government will just assist them, he said. Like the BNP, Awami League also demanded neutral and fair elections, said Obaidul. Meanwhile, Moslem Uddin Ahmed MP has been made the president while Mafizur Rahman was made the general secretary of the Chattogram South city unit Awami League from the council.

Election Commissioner Md Alamgir said on Sunday that elections to seats left vacant, after 5 BNP MPs resigned, will be held within 90 days as per the constitution. He came up with the remark while speaking with journalists at his office in Election Commission Bhaban in Dhaka, after news of resignation of five BNP MPs emerged. “We are yet to get a gazette of the vacant seats. If they (BNP MPs) truly resigned, the election to vacant seats will be held within 90 days,” he said, adding that the gazette will be circulated after the Speaker or Deputy Speaker receives the resignation letters. EC Commissioner Alamgir said there is a constitutional obligation to hold elections for the vacant seats within 90 days after seats get vacated. Read more: 5 parliamentary seats now vacant after BNP MPs’ resignation: Speaker Asked about the resignation of the BNP MPs, he said they saw the matter as normal and an MP can resign. “It is narrated in the constitution, how the resignation can go, here the EC has nothing to gain or lose,” he said. Earlier today, five out of seven BNP members of the parliament (MPs) submitted their resignation to Speaker of the Parliament Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, as part of their anti-government movement with a 10-point demand that includes dissolution of parliament. The BNP MPs submitted their resignation letters at 12:20 pm. 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 submit resignation to JS Speaker 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 today. Earlier, Rumeen Farhana announced the decision from the party’s Golapbagh rally on Saturday. The MPs sent their resignation through an email on Saturday. BNP on Saturday unveiled a 10-point charter of demands from Golapbagh rally aimed at unseating the government through a simultaneous movement.

All seven BNP members of the parliament have resigned today as per the decision of the party’s standing committee. BNP’s international affairs secretary Rumeen Farhana announced the decision from the party’s Golapbagh rally this afternoon. 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; Md. Harunur Rashid, Chapainawabganj-3; Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan, Brahmanbaria-2; and Rumeen Farhana, Women’s Reserved Seat. She said the MPs sent their resignation through email and will physically submit those to the speaker of the parliament tomorrow. “We’re not benefiting from being MPs. We joined the parliament to see how much space we get. But it is all the same, being MPs or not, so we have announced resignation,” she said. Read more: BNP’s much talked-about Dhaka rally begins, Khandaker Mosharraf may announce 10-point demand Earlier, BNP MPs were asked to resign from parliament as the party will announce a 10-point demand, including dissolution of parliament, from today’s rally. BNP is holding its last rally from where the party will announce their demands for launching a simultaneous movement.

The Members of Parliament (MPs) of BNP are likely to resign on Saturday as per the decision of the party’s standing committee. The party MPs have been asked to resign from parliament as the party will announced a 10-point demand including dissolution of parliament from the today’s rally, said a standing committee member of BNP wishing anonymity. He said they took the decision at a meeting on Friday night. Read more: BNP’s much talked-about Dhaka rally begins, Khandaker Mosharraf may announce 10-point demand  BNP is holding it last rally from where the party will announce their demands for launching a simultaneous movement. 10-Point Demand to be announced BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said, from their rally, they will announce a 10-point demand. “We have already discussed the points of the movement with those who are ready to wage a simultaneous movement with us. We hope they will simultaneously announce the 10 points – that we have formulated – from their respective positions,” he said. Mosharraf hoped that all parties who reach an understanding with them to initiate a simultaneous movement will move forward and intensify the anti-government agitation. A BNP standing committee member, wishing anonymity, said the party will also announce some new programmes like demonstrations, token-hunger strikes, human chains and sit-ins from the rally demanding the release of party’s leaders and activists and press for their 10-point demand. Read more: Golapbagh venue teeming with BNP leaders, activists all set for rally He said their demands include the resignation of the government, dissolution of parliament, including the provision of the caretaker government in the constitution through an amendment, formation of a new Election Commission under the caretaker government,  creating a level-playing field before the election, holding the election using ballot papers, releasing BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and all other political prisoners without any condition and revoking the Digital Security Act and other repressive laws, ensuring the freedom of expression and assembly and keeping all essential items within the buying capacity of people. There are seven MPs of the party including one from the reserved women seat. On October 29, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said MPs from his party are ready to resign from the current parliament as their main goal is to restore democracy by ousting the Awami League government.

Accusing the Parliament Secretariat of violating the constitution by distorting the questions of its MPs, BNP on Wednesday said the current parliament has turned into a "rubber-stamp one".

Two BNP MPs on Monday sharply criticised the government for what they said the ongoing “extrajudicial” killings and demanded a statement from the Home Minister whether all citizens of the republic will get the equal scope to take shelter under the arm of the law.

BNP MPs on Wednesday turned down the national budget passed in Parliament on Tuesday as they think it will only create further scopes for those who plunder public money instead of helping the nation overcome the coronavirus fallouts.

BNP MPs on Tuesday staged a walkout from Parliament as two senior ruling party MPs ridiculed their demand seeking assurance from the House that the upcoming polls to the two Dhaka city corporations will be held in a free and fair manner.