A clear picture of the upcoming electoral landscape emerged Wednesday after the deadline for withdrawing nominations expired, revealing the final distribution of seats among major political parties for the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election.
Internal sources indicate that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will contest at least 285 constituencies under the “Paddy Leaf” symbol. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has fielded candidates in at least 215 seats with the “Scales” symbol, while the National Citizen Party (NCP) maintains 30 candidates under the “Shapla Koli” emblem.
Other parties have also finalised their positions. The Jatiya Party, led by GM Quader, will compete in 195 seats, and Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis has 29 candidates. Gono Odhikar Parishad narrowed its field to 91 candidates under the “Truck” symbol after withdrawing 13 of its initial 102 nominations.
Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Ehsanul Mahbub Jubayer said the party withdrew from constituencies covered by electoral understandings but at least 215 candidates will contest under the scales symbol. In some areas, supporters blocked withdrawals, leaving contests open.
In Moulvibazar-3 and Sunamganj-1, party nominees were confined by local supporters to prevent withdrawals, while in Rajshahi-1, BNP leader Sultanul Islam Tarek submitted his withdrawal through his brother after being confined by party activists.
The final withdrawal deadline applied to 298 constituencies, excluding Pabna-1 and Pabna-2. Over 2,000 candidates from 51 political parties and independents have filed nominations. Through appeals, 417 candidates regained their candidacy.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin highlighted the threat posed by artificial intelligence, warning that AI-driven disinformation could challenge the commission’s efforts, particularly regarding IT-supported postal voting.
Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud noted that participation from 51 political parties is a positive sign and expressed hope for a peaceful, free, fair, and credible election on February 12, alongside the scheduled referendum.
