A number of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders have submitted nomination papers as independent candidates alongside those officially nominated by the party in many constituencies for the 13th general election.
This has become a source of concern both for leaders of the BNP’s alliance partners and for the party’s central leadership.
With the Bangladesh Awami League (AL), currently barred from political activities, absent from the contest, the principal rivals of the BNP-led alliance in the upcoming parliamentary election are Jamaat-e-Islami, the National Citizen Party (NCP), and the 11-party alliance led by Islami Andolan Bangladesh.
Under these circumstances, ensuring a single BNP-backed candidate in each constituency is considered crucial for electoral success.
At the same time, in constituencies where BNP has extended support to leaders of long-time allies in the joint movement, the presence of BNP-affiliated independent candidates is also making the contest difficult for those partners.
When journalists sought the BNP’s position on rebel candidates, the party’s standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said that rebels would withdraw their candidacies within the deadline set in the election schedule.
Organisational action would be taken against those who would fail to do so, he warned.
Nazrul Islam Khan made these remarks while responding to journalists after attending a photographic exhibition on the late BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital on Friday afternoon.
He is currently serving as chairman of the BNP’s election steering committee.
Referring to the large pool of capable candidates within a party as big as the BNP, Nazrul Islam Khan said many leaders felt that they would have been better choices as nominees and were therefore making efforts on their own behalf.
“We have urged them to respect the party’s decision and withdraw their nomination papers,” he said. “We are hopeful that they will do so. Many have already informed us that they intend to withdraw. So I believe that the situation will improve significantly within the withdrawal period. Otherwise, the party will take organisational measures against them.”
According to the announced schedule, candidates may withdraw their nominations until 20 January. Electoral symbols will be allocated to candidates on 21 January, after which campaigning will begin on 22 January. Polling is scheduled for 12 February.
Although party leaders remain hopeful that nominations will be withdrawn within the stipulated timeframe, the BNP has already taken disciplinary action against several rebel candidates.
In a press release issued on 30 December last, the party announced the expulsion of nine leaders, including BNP national executive committee assistant secretary for international affairs Rumeen Farhana, former convenor of Dhaka north BNP Saiful Alam (Nirob), and central executive committee member Hasan Mamun.
All three—Rumeen Farhana, Saiful Alam and Hasan Mamun—are contesting the election as independent candidates.
In Brahmanbaria-2 constituency, where Rumeen Farhana is running, the BNP has declared Maulana Junayed Al Habib, central assistant secretary-general of alliance partner Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, as the alliance candidate.
Saiful Alam was initially nominated by the BNP as its candidate for the Dhaka-12 constituency. Later, the party ceded the seat to Saiful Haque, general secretary of another alliance partner, the Revolutionary Workers Party.
Following that decision, Saiful Alam submitted his nomination papers as an independent candidate.
Former president of the Dhaka University unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Hasan Mamun, is from Patuakhali district.
The BNP has allocated the Patuakhali-3 constituency (Galachipa and Dashmina) to Nurul Haque, president of another alliance partner, Gono Odhikar Parishad.
Despite having long been active in the area with the intention of contesting the parliamentary election, Hasan Mamun has also filed his nomination as an independent candidate.
Although these long-standing and influential leaders within the BNP and its affiliated organisations are contesting independently, a large section of local party leaders and activists are reportedly backing them. A leader of an alliance partner described this as unexpected.
When asked about the killing of a BNP affiliate leader in Dhaka during the election period, Nazrul Islam Khan said, “On the path to democratic transition, every good initiative has enemies and opposition. So this is nothing unusual. The incident involving Shaheed Hadi (Shaheed Sharif Osman bin Hadi) is also part of this. Those who work for the country, for its independence and sovereignty, and for the welfare of the people inevitably have enemies.”
“Those enemies try to slow down good and constructive efforts, even if they cannot stop them altogether. But I believe the people of this country have been forged into pure gold through movements and struggles. Therefore, they cannot be held back by such misdeeds,” he added.
Speaking about the law and order situation, the senior BNP leader said, “Maintaining day-to-day law and order is the responsibility of the government. We have urged the government, and will continue to do so, to be extremely proactive and strategic.”
Issuing a warning, he further said, “It must be remembered that those who do not want elections at this time, those who do not want a democratic transition through elections, and those who are opposed to stability in Bangladesh, will all make attempts to create disruption. We believe the government will take the necessary measures and that the law and order situation will improve.”
Later, Nazrul Islam Khan visited the grave of Khaleda Zia along with members of the Bogura media and cultural society.