The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is going to discuss seat sharing with its allies for the next national elections soon on the receipt of candidate lists from alliance partners.
The party has already begun informal talks with its partners. It is holding internal consultations to ensure support for local aspirants that the party would nominate.
Besides informal talks with political allies, the BNP is also conducting motivational exercises within the party due to the presence of multiple aspirants in almost all constituencies.
The aim is to ensure that local aspirants understand the importance of supporting the party-nominated candidates, leaders of the party said.
According to party sources, among the simultaneous movement partners, the 12-Party Alliance has proposed candidates for 21 seats, the Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote, comprising 11 political parties, for nine seats, the Liberal Democratic Party for 13 seats, the Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) for five seats, the Labour Party for six seats, and the Nationalist Democratic Movement for 10 seats.
Another movement partner, Ganotontro Moncho, a platform of six parties, at a press conference on October 9, announced candidates for 138 constituencies. The alliance is yet to submit its list to the BNP.
Ganoforum has also prepared a list of 15 potential candidates, which will be formally submitted to the BNP after further scrutiny.
There have been discussions in political circles that the LDP submitted the names of 13 candidates to the BNP鈥檚 acting chairman in London.
According to BNP leaders, some of the Islamic parties are expected to remain aligned with the BNP in the upcoming elections, and the allocation of seats to these parties is still under discussion.
BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, on October 13, told 抖阴精品 that the party was currently in the process of candidate selection.
He said that the allies had submitted claims for seats and added that it was common for partners to request a higher number of seats.
Salahuddin said that the final decisions would be reached through talks.
Ganatantra Mancha partner Nagarik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna said on Tuesday that they had not yet submitted any candidate list to the BNP, but informal discussions were going on in various forms.
He stated that Ganatantra Mancha had already announced candidates for 140 constituencies, and the remaining 160 candidates would be announced within a day or two.
鈥榃e wanted a formal discussion with the BNP on its election strategy before submitting our candidate list. But, the BNP requested Ganatantra Mancha to meet with the list in hand,鈥� Manna said.
He said that although Ganatantra Mancha had selected candidates for all 300 constituencies, the alliance would submit a list to the BNP based on feasibility.聽聽聽
BNP policymakers remained positive about conceding seats to their allies, but they said that several factors would be carefully considered before finalising seat allocations.
Some BNP policymakers said that they would first consider how many seats the opposition camp, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its partners, was likely to win.
They said that they would also assess how many seats other political parties might secure.
Based on these calculations, they said, the BNP would ensure getting sufficient seats to be able to decide on any issue in parliament independently.
After taking all these factors into account, the BNP will distribute seats among its allies, they said.
In a recent interview, BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman said that the party envisages both elections and state formation in collaboration with its allies.
More than 60 political parties, which mobilised movements on the streets during previous periods of autocracy, continue to play an active role in shaping the country鈥檚 democratic process.
BNP standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan said that the party was actively engaged in negotiations and strategic planning with its allies, particularly those involved in the simultaneous movement.
He said that the relationship between forming a coalition and seat sharing was practically inseparable, as seat allocation was generally necessary for a coalition to function effectively.
When asked about the number of seats the party planned to offer its allies, Moyeen Khan said that the matter was currently under consideration by his party鈥檚 liaison committee.
12-Party Alliance coordinator Syed Ehsanul Huda said that specific discussions regarding the size and structure of the coalition, as well as seat allocation, were yet to take place.
He said that there had been no recent discussion with the BNP鈥檚 acting chairman regarding their candidate list or candidacy.