The BNP has said it does not want the upcoming national election to be delayed unless there are “unavoidable reasons,” despite concerns over the deteriorating health of party chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.
Nazrul Islam Khan, a member of the BNP Standing Committee and chief of the party’s Election Affairs Committee, made the remarks after a BNP delegation met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin at the Election Commission office in Agargaon on Thursday, December 4.
Responding to a question on whether BNP has sought a postponement of the election schedule over party chief’s health condition, Nazrul said, “BNP does not want the election to be delayed without unavoidable reasons. We hope Khaleda Zia will recover quickly and participate in the election process.”
He added that the party is praying for Khaleda Zia’s recovery as she continues treatment.
“By the grace of God, she will probably go abroad for treatment tomorrow morning. We hope she will recover quickly. Keeping that in mind, we are working, and we are very much in the election process. We do not want to step out of this process except in extraordinary circumstances.”
Nazrul Islam Khan also noted that BNP has announced names of additional candidates, signalling that the party is preparing to contest the polls as scheduled.
When asked whether this means BNP wants the election schedule announced on time, he said, “We have always demanded elections as soon as possible. For 14-15 years, we have been agitating for elections so that people can regain their right to vote. That right can only be exercised through elections. We do not want any delay in handing back this right to the people.”
He iterated: “The election should be held on time as announced. If we call for delaying the schedule, it will be interpreted as delaying the election. We do not want the polls to be delayed.”
BNP’s stance comes amid uncertainty over Khaleda Zia’s health and questions about her ability to engage in the election process.
However, the party maintains that the electoral timeline should remain unchanged unless an unavoidable situation arises.