BNP cedes 7 more seats to alliance

BNP has left seven more parliamentary seats for its allies as part of a seat-sharing arrangement.

The announcement came at a press conference at the party Chairperson’s Gulshan office on Wednesday afternoon by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Under the arrangement, Nagorik Oikya President Mahmudur Rahman Manna will contest from Bogura-2, Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar) leader Mostafa Jamal Haider from Pirojpur-1, and National People’s Party (NPP) Chairman Fariduzzaman Farhad from Narail-2, Islami Oikya Jote leader Mufti Rashid Bin Wakkas will contest from Jashore-5, while Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur will contest from Patuakhali-3 and the party’s General Secretary Rashed Khan from Jhenidah-4, Bangladesh Revolutionary Workers Party General Secretary Saiful Haque will contest from Dhaka-12, and Ganosanghati Andolon Chief Coordinator Zonayed Saki from Brahmanbaria-6.

Fakhrul said alliance partners will contest the election with their respective party symbols, while those who have joined BNP will contest with the party’s ‘Sheaf of Paddy’ symbol.

Warning party leaders and activists, Fakhrul said BNP will not field any candidate in the seats left for alliance partners as per the central decision. “If anyone contests as an independent candidate in those seats, organisational action will be taken against them.”