United News of Bangladesh

The BNP on Friday started selling party nomination forms for the reserved women’s seats in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad. The programme formally began around 11:00am at the party’s Nayapaltan central office, inaugurated by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. Addressing aspiring candidates, Rizvi said the party’s parliamentary board will select nominees based on their political contributions, particularly their roles in movements over the past 16-17 years, along with leadership qualities and the ability to speak effectively in Parliament. He urged party leaders and activists to accept the board’s decisions, warning against creating internal divisions over nominations. “Everyone must respect the party’s decision,” Rizvi said, adding that leaders and activists have made significant sacrifices for the party. He also said nomination forms will be sold until April 12 and must be submitted within this stipulated time. Several hundred women leaders gathered at the party office to collect forms, each paying Tk 2,000, unfolding scenes of enthusiasm and emotion. Rizvi handed over the first nomination form to Jerin Delwar Hossain and the second one to Fatema Asad, wife of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal founding convener Kazi Asaduzzaman Asad. Earlier, the Election Commission announced the election schedule on Wednesday, setting May 12 as the voting date. The deadline for submission of nomination papers is April 21, while scrutiny will take place on April 22-23. The last date for filing appeals against the acceptance and rejection of nomination papers by the returning officer is April 26, while appeals will be disposed of on April 27-28. The deadline for withdrawal of candidature is April 29, and election symbols will be allocated on April 30. Voting by MPs will be held on May 12. The reserved seats are filled through an indirect election system based on the proportional representation of political parties in the 300 general seats. MPs are required to vote if there is more than one candidate for a seat. However, voting is usually not needed, as parties generally nominate candidates equal to their allocated seats. According to the EC, BNP and its allies will receive 36 seats, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its alliance partners 13 seats, and independent lawmakers one seat, making a total of 50. As per the law, the EC must hold elections for the reserved women’s seats within 90 days of the gazette notification of the general election results, which was issued on February 13, the day after the election.  

A total of forty aspirants for the Awami League candidacy in the upcoming Dhaka-14, Sylhet-3 and Cumilla-5 by-elections collected the nomination papers in the first two days. Awami League sources told UNB that eleven, nine and twenty aspirants collected the papers for Dhaka-14, Sylhet-3 and Cumilla-5 respectively. The ruling party started the sale of nomination forms on Friday (June 4) and it will continue till June 10. Also read: Fifth phase municipality polls: AL nomination board sits Saturday Aspirants will be able to collect and submit their forms from 11am to 5pm from party president Sheikh Hasia's political office in Dhanmondi.

The ruling Awami League will start the sale of nomination forms for bypolls to the parliamentary constituencies of Dhaka-14, Sylhet-3 and Cumilla-5 from Friday. Read: President to attend parliament to witness budget presentation Aspiring candidates will be able to collect the forms from Awami League President Sheikh Hasina's political office in Dhmonadhi between 11am and 5pm, the party said in a release. The party has also asked the aspiring MP candidates to strictly adhere to all Covid-safety protocols during the collection and submission of the nomination forms, the sale of which will continue till June 10. The party has also instructed all the aspiring MP candidates to carry their National Identity Card (NID). Read: Parliament’s budget session set to begin Wednesday The three parliamentary seats became vacant due to the deaths of the respective MPs. Sylhet-3 MP Mahmud Us Samad died on March 11, Dhaka-14 MP Aslamul Haque on April 4 and Comilla-5 MP Abdul Matin Khasru passed away on April 14.  As voting in these parliamentary constituencies could not take place in the first 90 days due to the Covid-induced lockdown in the country, the bypolls are  slated for next month. Read:Speaker announces 5-member JS panel of chairmen According to the schedule announced by the Election Commission, the bypolls to the three constituencies will be held on July 14.  

Twenty-two aspirants on Thursday bought BNP’s nomination forms to contest the upcoming by-polls to four parliamentary seats in Dhaka, Naogaon and Sirajganj.

The ruling party Awami League started the sale of its nomination forms for the upcoming by-elections in three vacant parliamentary constituencies.

Incumbent DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam, and ruling party MPs Haji Mohammad Salim and Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh on Wednesday collected Awami League nomination forms for contesting the elections to two Dhaka city corporations.