Rashidul Hasan

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League president, will give strong directives today to a record number of 4,000 aspirants vying for party nomination for the December 30 national election.

As many as 52 nomination seekers are in a race to win Awami League's ticket to contest the 11th parliamentary polls from Barguna-1.

At least 4,000 nomination papers were sold in the last three days earning the Awami League around Tk 12 crore. But that's also a source of worry for the party.

The ruling Awami League appears to have ignored the electoral law and its own charter in the nomination process for parliamentary candidates in the next national election as the party didn't allow its grassroots leaders to make preliminary selection of contenders.

With much fanfare and enthusiasm, aspiring candidates yesterday started collecting nomination forms from the Awami League's election steering office in Dhanmondi, setting off on their race to be the party's contestants in the 11th parliamentary polls.

The Election Commission announces the schedule for the 11th parliamentary polls today amid support from the ruling Awami League and strong opposition from Jatiya Oikyafront, comprising the BNP and several other parties.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who wrapped up weeklong dialogues with political parties on the next parliamentary polls yesterday, had been part of the eventful history of both successful and failed talks.

The Election Commission seems to be in an unusual hurry to announce the schedule for the next parliamentary polls.

The state of politics in the run up to the upcoming parliamentary polls looks quite different from what prevailed in 2006 and 2013. The first week of the 90-day timeframe from October 31 for holding the polls saw some positive signs like talks between the ruling and opposition parties and deferral of the election schedule by the Election Commission.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said there would be no technocrat in the polls-time cabinet in line with the constitution.

Jatiya Oikyafront submits a letter to the Election Commission (EC) urging it not to announce the schedule for the 11th parliamentary election until the end of the ongoing dialogue.

The 10th parliament sits for the last time today, with the main opposition Jatiya Party setting a rare example in the history of the country's parliamentary democracy.

The Election Commission is likely to announce polls schedule following its meeting with President Abdul Hamid at the Bangabhaban on November 1.

The Election Commission yesterday rejected a proposal for amending the electoral code of conduct so that people in managing committees of educational institutions cannot run in the general election.

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda yesterday said the overall atmosphere ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election was “satisfactory”.

An election commissioner yesterday walked out of the election preparatory meeting for what he said was not being allowed to speak on how to hold the 11th parliamentary polls in a free, fair, and inclusive manner. Mahbub Talukder also submitted a “note of dissent” before leaving the Election Commission meeting, held at the Nirbachon Bhaban in the capital's Agargaon with Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda in the chair.

The grenades used in the August 21 attack to kill Sheikh Hasina were supplied by former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu's brother Maulana Tajuddin.

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda has finally moved to end his “go alone” policy that used to leave the four other election commissioners in the dark while running the EC.

Two small political parties are upbeat about having its members in the polls-time cabinet as the prime minister recently announced that an election-time government will be formed comprising political parties that have representation in parliament.

Several top BNP leaders shared the stage with Dr Kamal Hossain and Prof Badruddoza Chowdhury at a citizens' rally in the capital yesterday and extended full support to Jatiya Oikya Prokriya's three-point demand including formation of a polls-time neutral government.