The announcement of contestants in the polls from the party’s two alliances Jatiya Oikya Front and 20-party alliance might be announced along with the party-nominated candidates, the party leaders said.

‘The nominated candidates of BNP must have minimum two days before submitting the nomination papers,’ BNP standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy told the meida on Friday. The last date for filing nomination paper is Wednesday as the 11th parliament poll is scheduled for December 30.

Asked about the party’s earlier decision of giving nomination to its all aspirants until last date of withdrawal of the candidature, the BNP policymaker said that those who would be given the nominations would submit the nomination papers.

BNP had earlier decided that the party’ nomination seekers in each of the 300 parliament constituencies would submit their nominations papers and the party would pick its final candidates just before the deadline for withdrawal of candidature.

The party leaders said that they had taken this tactic to overcome obstacles, if any, created by Election Commission or the government as well as to avoid rebel candidates.

Later, the party revised the decision thinking that the tactic would rather create division among the party’s contenders as every hopeful would in the meantime start electioneering, said a BNP senior leader.

However, apart from the selected candidates, more than one aspirants of the party would submit nomination papers in some constituencies as a cautionary measure if the candidature of the nominated candidate is cancelled for reasons like bank loan defaulting, said the BNP leader.

Members of BNP standing committee, the party’s highest policymaking body, held meetings on Thursday and Friday to finalise the party’s candidates in consultation with the party’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman who has been staying in London since September 2008, the party leaders said.

The party’s interview board comprising its standing committee members took interview of the aspirant candidates from November 18 to November 21 when acting chairman Tarique Rahman gave directives to the aspirants through videoconferencing. The party has decided to take part in the elections jointly with Jatiya Oikya Front and BNP-led alliance.

BNP which along with all other opposition parties boycotted the 10th parliamentary elections on January 5, 2014, sold 4,580 nomination forms among the party nomination seekers for the upcoming poll.
Three registered parties in the Jatiya Oikya Front and eight registered parties in the BNP-led alliance will use BNP’s electoral symbol ‘sheaf of paddy’ in the elections.

BNP leaders said that the party would select candidates considering ability to face adverse situation during polls and ensure presence of polling agents and thwart any attempt to rig the elections by ruling Awami League.
‘We will select those candidates who have popularity and are capable of tackling adversity centring the polls,’ BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said.

He said the party would try to pick young leaders for the elections.
BNP leaders said they would sacrifice their candidatures for Gono Forum, led by Dr Kamal Hossain, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal – JSD, led by ASM Rob, Nagorik Oikya, led by Mahmudur Rahman Manna, and Krishak Sramik Janata League, led by Abdul Kader Siddique.

BNP has formed a three-member committee with standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Mirza Abbas and Nazrul Islam Khan to negotiate the sharing of seats with the allies in Jatiya Oikya Front and BNP-led alliance.