BNP set to finalise 36 candidates from a pool of 1,100 nomination seekers

Each nomination form costs Tk 2,000, and its submission requires a security deposit of Tk 50,000

As many as 1,100 women have collected nomination forms from the BNP over the last three days, seeking the party’s ticket for the upcoming election to the 50 reserved seats in the 13th Parliament.

By 10:30pm on Sunday, the final day for submission, more than 900 forms had been returned to the party's central office in Naya Paltan, according to Assistant Office Secretary Taiful Islam Tipu.

"We have kept the submission process open for now. The final count of submitted forms will be announced tomorrow morning after a formal tally," he said.

Each nomination form was sold for Tk 2,000.

The party mandated a significant financial commitment for those moving forward, requiring a security deposit of Tk 50,000 at the time of submission.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi assured aspirants to pick from among them in a democratic way.

The Election Commission (EC) announced the schedule for the 50 reserved seats on Apr 8, setting the polling date for May 12.

The election timeline sets the nomination submission deadline for Apr 21, followed by scrutiny on Apr 22–23.

The appeal window opens on Apr 26 and closes on Apr 28.

The symbol will be allocated on Apr 30.

Following the Feb 12 general election, the BNP-led alliance emerged as the dominant force with 213 seats, while the Jamaat-e-Islami-led coalition occupied the opposition benches with 77 seats.

Based on the proportional representation in the current parliament, the BNP-led alliance is entitled to 36 of the reserved seats for women.

The Jamaat-led alliance will receive 13 seats, while independent candidates are collectively entitled to one seat.