Another four BNP leaders take oath as MPs, Fakhrul opts out

Another four BNP leaders have taken oath as members of parliament, but Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir opted out.

They are Ukil Abdus Sattar from Brahmanbarhia-2 seat, Harun-ur-Rashid from Chanpainawabganj-3, Aminul Islam from Chanpainawabganj-2 and Mosharraf Hossain from Bogura-4.

The BNP won only six seats in the Dec 30 polls. The Jatiya Oikya Front alliance led by the BNP bagged a total of eight seats, with Gono Forum winning two.

The alliance pledged to stay away from parliament, citing irregularities and rigging in the elections.

“We’re under pressure, just as the party. Everyone is tensed,” Harun-ur-Rashid, who won the Chapainawabganj-3 seat, said on the eve of oath-taking.

Earlier, Gono Forum MPs Sultan Mansur and Mokabbir Khan took their oaths of office in defiance of the alliance's stance.

Following in their footsteps, Zahidur Rahman, elected from Thakurgaon-3 seat, was sworn in as the first BNP MP in the 11th parliament on Thursday. The BNP expelled him on Saturday.

An MP-elect must take oath within 90 days of the first sitting of parliament, according to the constitution. Accordingly, the deadline for taking oath for the MPs-elect was Apr 29.