Race heats up for JS reserved seats as over 600 seek BNP ticket

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is witnessing a surge of interest from women aspirants ahead of the elections to the reserved seats of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad, with more than 600 collecting nomination forms.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi disclosed the figure at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office in Dhaka on Saturday.

He said the nomination process, which began on Friday, saw over 500 forms sold on the first day alone, reflecting strong enthusiasm among party leaders and supporters. The sale and submission of forms will continue until Sunday.

“Our nomination process has started. Interested candidates are collecting forms, filling them up and submitting them with the required documents,” Rizvi told reporters.

Later, BNP Assistant Office Secretary Tarikul Islam Tenzing said the number of forms sold had crossed 600 by Saturday noon, while around 78 to 79 aspirants had already submitted their applications.

High expectations after a long political struggle

BNP leaders said expectations are particularly high this time, following years of political struggle and demands for a credible electoral environment.

Rizvi said the party has reached this stage after “16 to 17 years of a difficult situation,” expressing hope that the current environment would allow for democratic practices to function properly.

“We have fought for a long time for free and fair elections. Now that we have an opportunity, we must make the best use of it,” he said.

Selection process underway

A party board comprising senior leaders will review the applications and finalise candidates for the reserved women’s seats.

Rizvi said BNP is following its established democratic procedures in selecting nominees, adding that priority would be given to those who played active roles in the party’s movement and demonstrated the ability to represent the people effectively in parliament.

He also highlighted the role of women in the party’s movement, alleging that many female activists faced repression, harassment, and legal cases during the previous political movement.

Diverse aspirants join the race

On Saturday, the Nayapaltan office saw a diverse group of aspirants – including teachers, lawyers, cultural figures, former student leaders, and leaders of BNP’s women’s wing – collecting nomination forms.

Among them were noted singer Kanak Chapa and Bithika Binte Hossain, wife of late Swechchhasebak Dal president Shafiul Bari Babu, along with several former members of parliament.

The nomination form is priced at Tk 2,000, while candidates are required to deposit Tk 50,000 as security upon submission.

Tight election timeline

According to the election schedule announced by the Election Commission, the deadline for submitting nomination papers is April 21. Scrutiny will be held on April 22 and 23, while appeals can be filed on April 26 and resolved between April 27 and 28.

Symbols will be allocated on April 30, and voting for the reserved women’s seats is scheduled for May 12.

Based on seat distribution, the BNP alliance is expected to secure 36 reserved seats, while the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance may get 13 seats, and the independents one seat.

With hundreds of aspirants already in the race, BNP now faces the challenge of selecting candidates within a tight timeframe, as competition intensifies ahead of the elections.