Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has announced the names of 237 candidates for the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election, including party Chairperson Khaleda Zia and acting chairperson Tarique Rahman.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the list at the party chairperson’s office in Dhaka’s Gulshan on Monday evening.
BNP acting Chairman Tarique Rahman will contest from Bogra-6, marking his first participation in a parliamentary election. Additionally, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will contest from Thakurgaon-1, Standing Committee member Hafiz Uddin Ahmed from Bhola-3, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy from Dhaka-3, and Mirza Abbas from Dhaka-10.
Former state minister Lutfozzaman Babar has been nominated for Netrakona-4, which includes Mohonganj, Madan, and Khaliajuri upazilas.
Speaking at the announcement, Fakhrul said: “This is a preliminary list. We have finalized 225 constituencies so far. Changes may still be made, but this list should be considered the most appropriate for now.”
Earlier, at around 12:30pm, members of BNP’s highest policymaking forum, the Standing Committee, convened an urgent meeting. The nearly five-hour session was chaired virtually by acting Chairman Tarique Rahman from London.
In a separate meeting on Sunday, Tarique Rahman said: “To participate in this long-awaited election, the BNP is completing all possible preparations in consultation with pro-democracy citizens. As part of this, the process of finalizing BNP candidates or BNP-supported candidates for the country’s 300 parliamentary constituencies is nearing completion.”
He added: “As a popular and widely supported party, multiple qualified candidates in each constituency expect BNP’s nomination, which is natural. For a political party, this is certainly a matter of pride and honour.”
“Despite having several qualified and popular candidates in each parliamentary seat, it is not possible to nominate every deserving individual,” he further said.
The acting chairman also said: “We will gradually announce the names of BNP’s nominated candidates for various constituencies. Whoever the party nominates, every supporter and every believer in Bangladesh’s nationalist forces should work unitedly to ensure their victory.”
