Grassroots units to pick BNP candidates for Union Parishad polls

The BNP says it will place emphasis on recommendations from local leaders in the matter of choosing its candidates for the upcoming Union Parishad (UP) elections.

The party came up with the decision on Friday while officially announcing its decision to take part in the elections.

The president, general secretary and organising secretary of a UP unit of the party and the president and general secretary of the corresponding Upazila unit will together recommend candidates for the polls, the party said at a press conference.

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Joint Secretary General of the BNP, spoke at the news conference at the party’s headquarters at Naya Paltan in the capital.

Elections to the UPs will be held for the first time along party lines in six phases between Mar 22 and June 4.

Rizvi said the BNP had decided to take part in the polls ‘for the sake of the anti-government movement’ despite its ‘disagreement of opinion’ over the use of party symbols by candidates nominated by political parties at local government elections.

He expressed his doubts about whether a peaceful atmosphere would be maintained during the elections.

He said he thought that local government elections on party lines would only exacerbate conflict in society.

The BNP leader said the Election Commission’s decision to have the UP elections commence two days before the party’s council and municipal polls a day after the council was ‘politically ill motivated’.