Nomination withdrawal ends: BNP to contest 285 seats, Jamaat 215, NCP 30

A clear picture of the upcoming electoral landscape emerged on Wednesday after the deadline for withdrawing nominations expired, revealing the final seat distributions for major political parties.

While parties have yet to release official tallies, internal sources confirm that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will contest at least 285 constituencies under the “Paddy Leaf” symbol. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has fielded candidates in at least 215 seats with the “Scales” symbol, while the National Citizen Party (NCP) maintains a presence in 30 seats under the “Shapla Koli” emblem.

Other parties have also finalised their positions. The Jatiya Party, led by GM Quader, will compete in 195 seats, and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis has confirmed 29 candidates. Meanwhile, Gono Odhikar Parishad narrowed its field to 91 candidates under the “Truck” symbol after withdrawing 13 of its initial 102 nominations.

Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Ehsanul Mahbub Jubayer told The Media that the party kept candidates in constituencies covered by electoral understandings and withdrew from the rest. He said at least 215 Jamaat candidates will contest with the scales symbol.

However, he said supporters in at least two constituencies blocked candidates from withdrawing their nominations. In those seats, as well as in constituencies without agreements, contests will remain open, allowing both alliance-backed candidates and Jamaat nominees to run.

In Moulvibazar-3, Jamaat supporters confined party-nominated candidate Md Abdul Mannan to his home to prevent him from withdrawing. The 10-party alliance had finalised Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis candidate Ahmad Belal for the seat. A similar situation unfolded in Sunamganj-1, where Jamaat candidate and district amir Maulana Tofayel Ahmed remained confined at the party’s district office. The alliance had planned to leave the seat to Bangladesh Nezam-e-Islam Party candidate Maulana Mujammil Haque Talukder.

In Rajshahi, BNP leader Sultanul Islam Tarek, who sought to contest Rajshahi-1 (Godagari-Tanore) as an independent after failing to secure a party ticket, also faced confinement by party activists from late morning until afternoon. As the deadline approached, he submitted his withdrawal application through his younger brother Saiful Islam and confirmed the decision via video call with the returning officer and Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner Afia Akhter.

Under the announced schedule, Tuesday marked the final day for withdrawing nominations in 298 constituencies, excluding Pabna-1 and Pabna-2. The 13th Jatiya Sangsad election and a referendum will take place on 12 February. A total of 51 political parties and independent candidates have fielded more than 2,000 contenders.

Through the appeal process, 417 candidates regained their candidacy. The deadline for submitting nomination papers ended on 29 December, when 2,568 nominations were filed.

Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin warned that the misuse of artificial intelligence poses a major challenge for the election. Speaking after a meeting with technically skilled representatives of political parties, he expressed concern over misinformation circulating on social media about the commission’s new initiative on IT-supported postal voting.

“This is the age of AI, and it presents a serious challenge,” he said, adding that tackling AI-driven disinformation could prove difficult for the commission.

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said the participation of 51 political parties marks a positive sign. He expressed hope for a peaceful poll without major violence or unrest and said the commission expects the election to remain free, fair and credible.