BNP plans to offer 45 seats to allies

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Three allies of the BNP in the four-party alliance led by it have demanded 105 parliamentary seats for their candidates in the next general election but BNP plans to offer them only 45 seats, sources said.
Top leaders of the alliance will finalise the seat sharing issue after the selection of BNP candidates through interview.

Meanwhile, BNP completed distribution of nomination forms yesterday, and interview of the nomination seekers will begin today at Hawa Bhaban.

Nomination seekers from Sylhet and Chittagong divisions will be interviewed by the party parliamentary board headed by party Chairperson Khaleda Zia on the first day. All members of the party Standing Committee are members of the board.

BNP sources said 1,870 aspirants from across the country collected party nomination forms for contesting the election but 1,544 submitted the forms. Khaleda Zia collected forms for five seats and her son Tarique Rahman for one seat.

Party sources said the parliamentary board will finalise the decision as to how many seats and which seats Khlaeda Zia and Tarique will contest for.

BNP’s allies — Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP-Naziur) and Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ-Aminee) have submitted lists of their candidates to BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan. All of them will bargain for their candidates at the four-party meeting in this regard.

According to sources, Jamaat claimed 60 seats for their party men to fight the next election. They contested for 31 seats in the last election and won 17 seats.

BJP (Naziur) gave a list of 20 seats and IOJ a list of 25 seats.

Meanwhile, another BNP ally — Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP-Matin)– submitted a list of aspirant party candidates for 10 seats.

Sources said BNP has more than one aspirant for nomination in most of the constituencies, making it difficult for the high command to select party candidates.

A number of important leaders like Khulna City Corporation Mayor Sheikh Tayebur Rahman might leave the party unless they get nomination for the next polls. Tayebur had earlier declared that he would think of an ‘alternative’ if the party did not nominate him.

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