BNP keeps 63 seats open for allies
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has withheld nominations for 63 constituencies in its preliminary list of candidates for the upcoming national election, reserving them for allies and like-minded parties engaged in the simultaneous movement for political change.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the party’s primary list of 237 candidates following a meeting of the BNP Standing Committee at the chairperson’s office in Gulshan, Dhaka, on Sunday, November 3.
“The candidates for these constituencies will be finalised through discussions with our alliance partners,” Fakhrul said, emphasising that BNP aims to build a “coordinated opposition platform” to contest the polls effectively.
The vacant constituencies span across the country, including Thakurgaon-2, Dinajpur-5, Nilphamari-1, Nilphamari-3, Lalmonirhat-2, Bogura-2, Naogaon-5, Natore-3, Sirajganj-1, Pabna-1, Jhenaidah-1, Jhenaidah-2, Jhenaidah-4, Jashore-5, Narail-2, Bagerhat-1, Bagerhat-2, Bagerhat-3, Khulna-1, Patuakhali-2, Patuakhali-3, Barishal-3, Jhalakathi-1, Pirojpur-1, Tangail-5, Mymensingh-10, Kishoreganj-1, Kishoreganj-5, Manikganj-1, Munshiganj-3, Dhaka-7, Dhaka-9, Dhaka-10, Dhaka-13, Dhaka-17, Dhaka-18, Dhaka-20, Gazipur-1, Gazipur-6, Narsingdi-3, Narayanganj-4, Rajbari-2, Faridpur-1, Madaripur-2, Sunamganj-2, Sunamganj-4, Sylhet-4, Sylhet-5, Brahmanbaria-3, Brahmanbaria-6, Cumilla-2, Cumilla-7, Lakshmipur-1, Lakshmipur-4, Chattogram-3, Chattogram-6, Chattogram-9, Chattogram-11, Chattogram-14, Chattogram-15 and Cox's Bazar-2.
Party insiders said the move is part of BNP’s broader electoral strategy to maintain unity within its alliance, particularly with smaller parties that have stood beside the BNP in recent anti-government campaigns.
The primary candidate list marks a significant step in the BNP’s election preparations, as the party seeks to balance alliance coordination with its internal selection process.
The BNP’s decision to reserve multiple seats for allies signals its intention to contest the next general election as part of a wider opposition front, projecting political unity ahead of a closely watched national vote.