The BNP has called a 48-hour hartal (strike) from Sunday across Bangladesh demanding the cancellation of the national polls' schedule.
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, senior joint secretary general of the party, made the announcement in a virtual press conference on Thursday afternoon.
The party rejected the announcement of the election schedule and vowed to continue protesting against the government’s decision to carry on with the election process.
Several other opposition parties, including Gono Odhikar Parishad (Nur-Rashed) and Gantantra Mancha, also called for a 48-hour hartal from Sunday protesting the poll schedule.
After a rally on October 28 that was foiled by clashes with law enforcement, the BNP called a hartal the next day and subsequently announced a three-day countrywide blockade to protest attacks on its gathering and arrest of its senior leaders.
The fifth phase of the blockade started at 6am on Wednesday and will continue till Friday 6am.
Following a brief pause over the weekend, the BNP and its like-minded parties will hold the two-day hartal to press home their demands.
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal on Wednesday announced the schedule for the 12th parliamentary elections, with the polls set to be held on January 7.
According to the fire service, miscreants set fire to 12 vehicles including buses, trucks, trains, human haulers, and covered vans across the country since the announcement of the schedule till 9am on Thursday.
