BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed on Friday expressed hope that the party’s Acting Chairman, Tarique Rahman, will return to Bangladesh by November.“I believe our Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman will return to the country within November. We are waiting for his return,” Salahuddin told reporters at his residence in Gulshan.When asked whether there was a specific date for Tarique’s return, he said, “You’ll know the exact date very soon. But I hope he’ll be back within November.”Regarding Tarique Rahman’s possible constituencies in the upcoming national election, the BNP leader said the Acting Chairman will certainly contest, as he has already indicated in his interviews.“The constituencies will be decided later. He can contest from any seat in Bangladesh,” Salahuddin said.
On whether BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia will take part in the upcoming election, he said, “We hope our leader Begum Khaleda Zia will make her decision based on her health condition. We definitely want her to contest the polls.”
Salahuddin further said the BNP will finalize its list of candidates for 200 constituencies within this month.
Responding to a question about a possible alliance with the National Citizen Party (NCP), he said political discussions are ongoing, but no formal decision has been made yet.
“Talks are still at the discussion stage. Let’s wait and see how things progress,” he added.
The BNP leader expressed dissatisfaction with the way the Representation of the People Order (RPO) amendment was passed, saying it would discourage smaller parties from forming alliances.
“We agreed with several clauses of the RPO amendment. Under sub-clause 20(1), if a party joins an alliance, it can contest under another party’s symbol. Most parties supported this provision,” he said.
Salahuddin added that they were confident this would be considered. “But the way the RPO has been passed will discourage smaller parties from forming alliances. As a result, many senior leaders of small parties will lose opportunities,” he noted.
He also questioned why the RPO amendment was passed unilaterally. “BNP wants a vibrant, multi-party parliament. For the sake of a fair election, I urge the authorities to reconsider this matter,” he said.
Salahuddin mentioned that the BNP supports the introduction of a ‘No’ vote option in constituencies with single candidates to ensure that no one wins uncontested.
He further informed that the BNP will send a formal letter to the Election Commission expressing its objections to certain provisions of the RPO amendment.