Bangladesh’s main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has said it has nominated more women candidates than any other political party for the upcoming 13th parliamentary election, while criticising Jamaat-e-Islami and several other parties for failing to nominate any women.
Speaking at a press briefing at the BNP’s Gulshan Election Office on Monday, election steering committee spokesperson Mahdi Amin said the party had nominated 10 women candidates, describing the move as a reflection of the BNP’s commitment to women’s participation in politics.
He said the party aimed to increase the number further, adding that it was disappointing that some parties had not nominated a single woman despite women making up around half of the country’s population. He described the situation as unfortunate and said it highlighted a lack of inclusiveness in national politics.
Mahdi said BNP candidates are contesting in 292 constituencies across the country under the party’s ‘Sheaf of Paddy’ symbol. He said 85 of the party’s nominees are former members of parliament with experience of working for constituents, while 19 former ministers are also standing in the election.
He added that 237 BNP candidates hold at least a bachelor’s degree, arguing that the party’s candidates combine educational qualifications with political experience.
The BNP spokesperson said several candidates had previously been victims of enforced disappearance during what he described as a period of political repression. He named Salahuddin Ahmed, Anisul Rahman Talukder Khokon and Hummam Quader Chowdhury as candidates who were themselves subjected to enforced disappearance.
He also said family members of victims had been nominated, including Tahsina Rushdir Luna, the wife of former MP Ilias Ali, and Sanjida Islam Tuli, the sister of Sajeedul Islam Suman and a coordinator of the organisation Mayer Daak.
Mahdi said most BNP candidates are facing multiple legal cases, with many accused in dozens of cases, which he described as politically motivated.
He accused Jamaat-e-Islami of attempting to influence voters by exploiting religious sentiment during the election campaign. Mahdi alleged that social media posts and videos were being circulated suggesting that voting for a particular election symbol was a religious obligation.
He said such attempts to use religion for political gain undermine the transparency and fairness of the election and amount to a misinterpretation of faith.
Mahdi said these activities violate provisions of the Representation of the People Order, 1972, and constitute a punishable offence of exerting undue influence. He called on the Election Commission to take swift action.
He also alleged that activists of a political party were collecting photocopies of women voters’ national identity cards, along with mobile phone numbers and mobile financial service details, from households.
Mahdi warned that such data could be misused for fraudulent voting, voting in the names of deceased individuals or offering financial inducements, and said the BNP had informed the Election Commission of the matter.
He urged the commission to immediately stop what he described as illegal practices and to take measures to protect voter information.
The BNP spokesperson also questioned plans to deploy 13 to 15 Ansar and Village Defence Party members at each polling centre, noting that many of them are expected to be local residents.
He said assigning locally based personnel to election duties could raise concerns about neutrality and urged the Election Commission to deploy security members outside their own police station areas to ensure a free and fair election.
Responding to a question, Mahdi said BNP believes the country’s internal affairs are closely linked to national sovereignty and expressed hope that the international community would respect that sovereignty while supporting a transparent and independent electoral process.
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