Bangladesh News

In a bid to expand four-party alliance ahead of the parliamentary election, BNP leadership has started talking to some of their former colleagues who are leading other political parties now after leaving their old party.

A BNP leader claimed that Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Col (retd) Oli Ahmed, known to be very critical of Tarique Rahman and Hawa Bhaban, contacted Khaleda Zia over the phone recently, and expressed his willingness to meet the BNP chief after his return from Saudi Arabia, where he currently is.

The BNP leader however said it is still not clear whether Oli along with his LDP colleagues will return to his old party or join the four-party alliance under the banner of his new party.

Maj Gen (retd) Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, chairman of Kalyan Party (KP), also expressed his interest in meeting the BNP chairperson, the BNP leader said adding that KP might join the alliance.

A former BNP lawmaker yesterday told The Daily Star that his party leaders will do everything to expand their alliance to compete against Awami League-led grand electoral alliance in the upcoming parliamentary election.

“We are now trying to contact the former leaders of our party and hope all misunderstandings will be resolved through meetings between the chairperson and them,” he said.

He however did not make it clear whether BNP will contact its former leader AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury, who is currently the president of Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, BNP is set to start its electoral preparations including selection of party candidates after the Eid.

“The nomination process in BNP will start after the Eid-ul-Fitr,” BNP Chairperson’s Adviser Brig Gen (retd) Hannan Shah said yesterday.

A new office of the chairperson will be set up after the Eid, from where she will lead the party’s activities including the nomination process, he told reporters in his New DOHS apartment in the capital.

Hannan Shah said leaders who committed corruption, amassed black money, and tarnished the image of the party and the chairperson, will not get nominations.

Since the time is very short ahead of the election, countrywide mass outreach under the leadership of Khaleda Zia will also start soon after the Eid, he added.

Replying to a question on the proposed meeting between Khaleda and her traditional political archrival Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, the BNP leader said the two top leaders should sit together for the greater interest of the nation and to bring about qualitative changes in politics and governance.