The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been left without candidates in two constituencies ahead of the upcoming national parliamentary elections, following the cancellation of nominations by the Election Commission (EC), despite earlier recoveries through appeals.
The party initially announced candidates for 292 constituencies, keeping eight seats reserved for its coalition partners. However, during scrutiny by returning officers, several BNP nominees were disqualified over issues including dual citizenship and loan defaults. Many of those candidates later regained eligibility after appealing to the EC, but nominations in four constituencies were ultimately cancelled.
Of those four seats, BNP has alternate candidates in two constituencies, leaving the party without candidates in Comilla-4 and Chittagong-2 for the time being.
In total, BNP submitted 331 nomination papers across all 300 constituencies, including alternate candidates for its 292 main seats. Following EC hearings, four BNP candidates were disqualified: Abdul Gafur Mia in Comilla-10 on grounds of dual citizenship; Sarwar Alamgir in Chittagong-2 for loan default; Manjurul Ahsan Munshi in Comilla-4; and TS Ayub in Jessore-4, also over loan default.
In Jessore-4, BNP faces no difficulty as alternate candidate Matiar Rahman Farazi remains in the race. In Comilla-10, Mobashwer Alam Bhuiya claimed the seat as the party’s nominee after Abdul Gafur Mia’s disqualification, but he was not finally selected and did not appeal the EC decision.
In contrast, BNP has no alternate or coalition candidates in Comilla-4 and Chittagong-2. However, both Manjurul Ahsan Munshi and Sarwar Alamgir have challenged the EC’s decisions in the High Court, keeping the fate of BNP’s presence in those constituencies dependent on court rulings.
Meanwhile, BNP has finalised nominations nationwide in constituencies where alternate candidates had earlier been declared. In some seats, previously announced candidates were confirmed, while in two constituencies where nominations were cancelled, alternate candidates were finalised. At the time of the initial announcement, BNP had named alternate candidates in seven constituencies across the country.
In Bogura-2, the seat was allocated to Nagorik Oikko leader Mahmudur Rahman Manna as part of the BNP-led alliance. BNP, however, also nominated its own leader Mir Shah Alam as an alternate candidate. On the final day for withdrawal of nominations, neither Mahmudur Rahman Manna nor Mir Shah Alam withdrew, leaving both nominations in place.
Court to decide fate of Comilla-4 and Chittagong-2
Manjurul Ahsan Munshi, whose nomination in Comilla-4 was cancelled, has filed a writ petition challenging the EC’s decision. The High Court, in a bench led by Justice Rajik Al Jalil, has scheduled the hearing for Wednesday, January 21.
Although the Comilla returning officer had initially validated Munshi’s nomination, National Citizens’ Party (NCP) candidate Hasanat Abdullah appealed to the EC, alleging that Munshi concealed information regarding a loan default. Following a hearing at the EC auditorium in Agargaon on January 17, the commission upheld the appeal and cancelled Munshi’s nomination.
Similarly, BNP candidate Sarwar Alamgir’s nomination for Chittagong-2 was cancelled by the EC on January 18. Alamgir has also moved the High Court, with the hearing scheduled for Thursday. His nomination had initially been approved by the returning officer, but Jamaat candidate Muhammad Nurul Amin appealed, citing Alamgir’s alleged loan default. The EC accepted the appeal and invalidated Alamgir’s candidacy.
Senior lawyers Ahsanul Karim and Ruhul Quddus, along with lawyer Nizam Uddin, appeared for the petitioners, while senior lawyer Mohammad Hossain and lawyer A S M Shahriar Kabir represented Muhammad Nurul Amin.
After the hearing, senior lawyer Ahsanul Karim told reporters: “The High Court has fixed Thursday for the decision. Sarwar Alamgir does not have a defaulted loan. He has already paid Tk30 million to Premier Leasing as per bank requirements, and the loan has been rescheduled.”
Manjurul Ahsan Munshi also expressed optimism, saying: “I have challenged the EC’s decision in court. I hope for a fair judgment so that the people’s right to vote is protected.”