After putting an end to various speculations, BNP is finally on the way to the polls. The party, which boycotted the last parliamentary election, will be voting as part of the seven-point demand movement, including the release of party chief Begum Khaleda Zia. BNP will be with the other parties of the 20-party alliance and Jatiya Oikya Front. However, the Jatiya Oikya Front will demand that the election schedule be postponed by another month. Oikyafront's top leader will hold a press conference today at the National Press Club with the official announcement of going to the elections. Kamal Hossain. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said this information. Yesterday afternoon at BNP chairperson's office in Gulshan, BNP Standing Committee, 20-party alliance in the evening also finalized the matter of going to the election in the last night meeting of Jatiya Oikya Front. This information is known from related sources. It is known that Jatiya Oikya Front will announce to go to the election with conditions. Besides going to the elections, they are also keeping the path of movement open. If there is no level playing field, the BNP alliance and front may end up boycotting the vote. However, today, the alliance and front partner parties including BNP will send separate letters to the Election Commission for joint elections. Later on Monday, Jatiya Oikya Front will hold a meeting with the Election Commission. There they will demand that the election schedule be postponed by at least one month.
According to BNP Standing Committee sources, the Standing Committee was divided into two parts over whether to go to the elections. A section argued in favor of not going to the elections under the current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In this regard, they cited the example of ongoing non-reconciliation dialogues including past city corporation elections. However, another part took a stand in favor of going to the elections. They believe that it is important to go to the elections for the sake of the future politics of the leaders and workers, including to sustain the existence of BNP. Although there was a slight ruckus in the standing committee, in the end everyone took a principled decision to go to the polls.
It is known that the party's chief BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and Acting Chairman Tariq Rahman are also said to be positive about going to the elections as part of the movement. When Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the party's general secretary, met Begum Zia in the old jail, he instructed her to discuss with the alliance and front leaders and take a decision. However, he is also said to be positive about going to the polls as part of the movement.
In this regard, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, 'BNP is an election-oriented party. But the leader of democracy Begum Khaleda Zia is now in jail. Even after the announcement of the schedule, arrests and harassment of the leaders and activists are going on. The government is once again plotting a one-sided election. Ignoring the opinions of political parties, the Election Commission has announced a unilateral schedule. Begum Khaleda Zia, who is undergoing treatment in the hospital, has been forcibly sent to prison. It is very difficult to go to the election in this situation. We want to ensure a fair election environment before the polls.'
According to sources related to BNP, even if the dialogue with the government is over, the Jatiya Oikya Front will continue the talks on a small scale. In the end they will be in the bargain. However, the current schedule will be pushed back. In this, contact will be kept with domestic and foreign diplomats. BNP Front will also request to pressurize the government for fair elections. Leaders of parties, alliances and fronts will also purchase nomination forms. Submit nomination papers. But everything will depend on the voting environment. The BNP alliance may also boycott the election if the environment is not favorable. A member of the BNP Standing Committee said that we are not willing to make another mistake like January 5, 2014. I will not allow the government to score goals in an empty field. The field will not be left unchallenged.
According to BNP sources, a message has already been sent to the grassroots level by the BNP chairperson and acting chairman. It has been asked to prepare the movement along with the election. However, BNP has almost prepared the list of candidates by conducting multiple surveys. However, some candidates may change at the last minute. At least three candidates have been selected in each constituency. Even though candidates are ready for 300 seats, BNP will leave at least 80 seats for alliance and front. Mahmudur Rahman Manna, convenor of Nagorika Oikya said, 'There are 30 candidates in our party. There was more. However, if elected as a united front, I will seek 30 seats. Candidates are also preparing.
A senior BNP leader said that the party's think tank and senior leaders have also drafted the election manifesto. On the instructions of the center, election management committees have also been formed secretly in each ward across the country. The committee has listed the names of several skilled and brave workers as polling agents in the polling stations.
BNP meeting with Jot-Front throughout the day: BNP held a meeting at Gulshan office of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia throughout the day. This meeting was held as a part of various plans for the upcoming elections. Some senior leaders of BNP held a meeting in the afternoon. After that, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir held a meeting with the party's standing committee members at Gulshan office around 5:30 pm. A separate meeting of the top leaders of the partner parties of the 20-party alliance was held in the evening at the Gulshan office under the chairmanship of LDP Chairman Oli Ahmed. BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan participated there. After that, National Unity Front held a meeting at Gulshan office at night. Along with the vote, the leaders also talked about the movement program for the coming days. Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Dr. participated in the meeting of BNP Standing Committee at the chairperson's office in Gulshan. Khandkar Mosharraf Hossain, Barrister Maudud Ahmed, Barrister Zamir Uddin Sarkar, Lieut. General (Retd.) Mahbubur Rahman, Barrister Rafiqul Islam Mia, Mirza Abbas, Dr. Abdul Moin Khan and Nazrul Islam Khan. A meeting of the 20-party alliance was held immediately after the Standing Committee meeting.
Alliance meeting also in favor of going to polls: Most of the leaders of the 20-party alliance have voted in favor of going to polls. However, they left this responsibility on BNP. After the meeting, the leader of the journalists' alliance, Col. (retd.) Ali Ahmed, said that no decision has been taken yet to go to the polls. However, a coalition leader who participated in the meeting told Bangladesh Pratidin, 'We are going to vote. It has not yet been decided whether the Jamaat will go independently or in alliance.' In the alliance meeting presided over by LDP Chairman Colonel (retd) Ali Ahmed, 20 party coordinators BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan, Jamaat-e-Islami's Abdul Halim, BJP President Andalib Rahman Parth, Bangladesh Kalyan Party Chairman Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, Jagpar Tasmia Chief, Democratic League's Saifuddin Ahmed Moni, Maulana Mohammad Ishaq of Khilafat Majlis, Dr. Labor Party. Mostafizur Rahman Iran, Comrade Saeed Ahmed of the Communist Party, Noor Hossain Kasemi of Jamiat Ulamae Islam, Maulana Abdur Rakib of Islami Oikyazot and others participated in the meeting. Chairman of a party in the meeting said that at the beginning of the meeting BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir explained the current political situation. There he said, level playing field is not confirmed, alliance chief jail, schedule announced, what should alliance do in this situation. Representatives of almost every party expressed a positive attitude towards participating in the 11th National Assembly elections. Three of the 23 parties in the meeting expressed negative sentiments about going to the polls. There are three parties – BJP, Islami Oikyazot and Democratic League. Later, after the meeting of the 20-party alliance, LDP president Oli Ahmed told reporters that the country's elections and the overall political situation in the country were discussed in today's meeting. We have not decided whether to go to the elections or not. Within the next two days, the 20-party alliance will talk to our main party BNP and Jatiya Oikya Front and present the final decision to the nation.
He said, the release of the alliance leader Khaleda Zia is our main, she should be released. Only then will the election atmosphere return. Many leaders and workers of 20 parties have been arrested. Although the government says, equal opportunity for election has been created for all. We think it is limited to paper, limited to magazines. Equal opportunities have not yet been created for all groups.
Oikya Front will go to EC on Monday: Jatiya Oikya Front will go to the Election Commission on Monday to highlight the overall situation in the elections. Such a decision was made in the meeting of the national unity front. There the leaders discussed, the Oikya Front leaders will go to the Election Commission and hand over a letter to highlight the current situation and their demands. Regarding the content of the letter, a leader of the BNP Standing Committee said that the letter will say about postponing the election. Elections will be demanded to be postponed by one month. President of the public forum. Kamal Hussain was not present in this night meeting due to physical illness. Mirza Fakhrul presided over the meeting in his absence.
BNP will brief the diplomats: BNP will brief the diplomats appointed in Dhaka on the ongoing issues of the country. Sources in the diplomatic wing of the party say that the content of the dialogue with the ruling party on November 1 and November 7 and the promises made by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be raised with importance. The issue of briefing diplomats is part of the regular activities of the Foreign Affairs Committee of BNP. The briefing is scheduled to be held at the BNP Chairperson's office in Gulshan.
Sources say that the BNP will emphasize on the promises made by the ruling party in the two rounds of dialogue, especially the withdrawal of political cases, not to file new cases and the arrest of leaders and workers. In this case, some documents including evidence will be handed over to the diplomats. When asked, BNP's foreign affairs committee convener and party vice chairman Inam Ahmed Chowdhury said, "We regularly brief diplomats." I will brief next Monday. I will talk about current political issues.
