‘BNP to pick women representatives based on activism, skills’

The ruling BNP has begun preparations to finalise its candidates for 36 reserved women’s seats in the 13th National Parliament, with over 700 nomination forms sold and around 150 having been submitted as of Saturday.
The upcoming election for women’s reserved seats scheduled for 12 May has sparked significant enthusiasm among women leaders within the party, as the nomination process gains momentum, according to a source within the party.
The sale of nomination papers will continue till tomorrow, BNP Senior Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said while talking to reporters at the party’s Nayapaltan central office in Dhaka.
“We will give priority to women activists who played active roles in the political movement and possess strong communication and speaking skills, good image and social credibility, when selecting candidates for the reserved parliamentary seats,” he said.
Rizvi, a political adviser to the prime minister, also highlighted the growing interest of the party’s women activists in collecting and submitting nomination papers and reaffirmed the party’s commitment to a democratic selection process.
The price of each form has been fixed at Tk2,000 and Tk50,000 will have to be paid as a deposit at the time of its submission.
According to the electoral rules, one reserved seat will be distributed against every six general seats and in proportion, 36 seats will be allocated to the BNP-led alliance. The women lawmakers will be elected solely by the votes of members of the parliament under the proportional representation system.
“We will place all these forms before the party’s parliamentary board to finalise the candidates,” he said.
BNP will finalise the candidates through the same democratic process it has followed in the past ahead of the 13th parliamentary election, he said.
The women activists are showing overwhelming enthusiasm this time, as they have all endured a horrific situation over the past 16 to 17 years, he said, adding that the countrymen had to fight for a long period to hold a free, fair and credible election in the country.
“We must make the most of the environment for democratic practice that has been created in the country after 16 years of struggle, so that people can understand that the ruling party is ensuring its democratic accountability,” he said.
Soon after assuming office, the ruling BNP has so far appointed administrators at 42 zila parishads to ensure the smooth continuation of the development works and strengthen the local government administration.
Referring to the government’s move, Rizvi said the heads of the zilla parishads, upazilas, union parishads and municipality mayors will be elected by popular vote gradually.

About the contribution of his party’s women front activists, he said they had to face a difficult time, as many were arrested for freely expressing their views on social media and faced continuous oppression and harassment following their detention.
Women leaders in the BNP central executive committee and leaders of Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal, young leaders formerly associated with Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal are also in the race for nomination.
Late BNP leader Moudud Ahmed’s wife Hasna Jasimuddin Moudud, daughter of former BNP secretary general Abdus Salam Talukder Salima Begum, daughter of former BNP whip Syed Wahidul Alam Shakila Farzana, a member of the family of former secretary general Khondaker Delwar Hossain, and Dhaka North BNP Joint Convener Ferdousi Ahmed are among the aspirants.
Moreover, BNP Media Cell member Mahmuda Habiba, former central vice-president of Mohila Dal Sultana Jesmin, Mohila Dal leader Asma Aziz, BNP central leader Nawaz Halima Arli, Fahima Nasrin, wife of late BNP leader Nasir Uddin Pintu, Nasima Akhter Kalpana, wife of late Shafiul Bari Bithika Binte Hossain and Mohila Dal Dhaka metropolitan south member secretary Nasima Akhter, are also among the aspirants.

Read More

US Embassy clarifies stay limit for visitor visa holders