The ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance and the opposition Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance on Monday announced the names of their nominees for the reserved seats for women in Jatiya Sangsad.
The BNP-led alliance announced the names of its 36 nominees at a press conference at the BNP central office in the capital’s Naya Paltan Area, while the Jamaat-led alliance announced the names of its 13 nominees at a separate press conference at the central office of Jamaat at Moghbazar in Dhaka.
The prime minister’s adviser and BNP senior joint secretary general, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, announced the names of the BNP-led alliance’s nominees at the Naya Paltan press conference.
The nominees are Selima Rahman, Shirin Sultana, Rasheda Begum Hira, Rehana Akter Ranu, Nawaz Halima Arlee, Mosammat Farida Yasmin, Bilqis Islam, Sakila Farzana, Helen Jerin Khan, Nilofar Chowdhury Moni, Nipun Roy Chowdhury, Jiba Amina Khan, Mahmuda Habiba, Sabira Sultana, Sansila Jebrin, Sanjida Islam Tuli, Sultana Ahmed, Fahmida Haque, Anna Minj, Subarna Sikder, Shamima Ara Begum Swapna, Shammi Akter, Ferdausi Ahmed, Bithika Binte Hossain, Suraiya Jerin, Mansura Akter, Joharat Adib Chowdhury, Momtaz Alo, Fahima Nasrin, Arifa Sultana, Sanjida Yasmin, Nadia Pathan Papon, Shawkat Ara Akter, Madhabi Marma, Selina Sultana and Rezeka Sultana.
Among the nominees, Selima Rahman is a member of the party’s standing committee. She previously served twice as a lawmaker from a reserved seat and was the state minister for cultural affairs during the BNP-led alliance’s rule between 2001 and 2006.
Shirin Sultana, a former secretary of Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal, was also elected a lawmaker in the eighth parliament in 2001. She is the wife of BNP central leader Khairul Kabir Khokon.
Besides Selima and Shirin, those who served as lawmakers earlier and are going to return to the parliament following their nomination are Rasheda Begum Hira (2001, 2008), Rehana Akter Ranu (2001, 2008), Bilqis Islam (2001), Helen Jerin Khan (2001), Nilofar Chowdhury Moni (2008), Sultana Ahmed (2001) and Shammi Akter (2008).
The nominees also include the relatives of former ministers and senior leaders. Of them, Nawaz Halima Arlee is the sister of former state minister for cultural affairs Ali Newaz Mahmood Khaiyam, Dhaka district BNP general secretary Nipun Roy Chowdhury is the daughter of cultural affairs minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury and a daughter-in-law of BNP standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy.
Besides, Sakila Farzana is a Supreme Court lawyer and the daughter of former whip Syed Wahidul Alam, Bithika Binte Hossain is the wife of late BNP leader Shafiul Bari Babu, Ferdausi Ahmed is the wife of former councillor Saidur Rahman Newton and sister of BNP leader Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu, and Barrister Joharat Adib Chowdhury is the daughter of former whip Ebadur Rahman Chowdhury.
Three of the nominees were BNP candidates in the 13th parliamentary elections held on February 12 but failed to win. They are Sanjida Islam Tuli (Dhaka-14), Sabira Sultana (Jessore-2) and Sansila Jebrin (Sherpur-1).
The first-time nominees include BNP central committee members Mosammat Farida Yasmin and Jiba Amina Khan, media cell member Mahmuda Habiba, assistant international affairs secretary Fahmida Haque, Bogura district Mohila Dal leader Suraiya Jerin Roni, Cox’s Bazar district BNP leader Shamima Ara Begum Swapna, and Subarna Sikder, a representative of the Matua community from Gopalganj.
Anna Minj, from the indigenous Orao community, is also entering parliament for the first time. She previously served as a senior director of programmes at BRAC International.
Among the younger leaders, Mansura Akter and Sanjida Yasmin are joint general secretaries of the central committee of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal. Former student leaders Arifa Sultana, Nadia Pathan Papon, Selina Sultana Nishita and Shawkat Ara Akter have also been nominated.
Momtaz Alo from Munshiganj is the international affairs secretary of the Mohila Dal central committee. Fahima Nasrin Munni is an assistant international affairs secretary of the BNP, while lawyer Madhabi Marma is a former general secretary of Bandarban district Mahila Dal.
Rezeka Sultana, though not holding any formal party position, is actively involved in party politics, according to BNP’s media cell.
However, several discussed names did not appear on the list, including Mahila Dal president Afroza Abbas, former lawmaker Syeda Asifa Ashrafi Papia, singer Kanak Chapa and former lawmaker Rumana Mahmood, the wife of BNP standing committee member Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku.
Meanwhile, Jamaat’s assistant secretary general Hamidur Rahman Azad, also coordinator of the Jamaat-led alliance, announced the names of 13 nominees for the reserved seats for women at the press briefing at the Jamaat’s central office at Mogbazar.
Eight of the nominees are from Jamaat, two from the National Citizen Party, one each from the Jatiya Ganatantrik Party-Jagpa and the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, and a representative from a July martyr’s family.
The nominees from Jamaat are its women’s wing secretary Nurunnisa Siddiqa, its assistant secretary Marzia Begum, law and human resource secretary Sabikunnahar Munni, media and publicity secretary Najmun Nahar Nilu, central unit member and former secretary of women wing of Sylhet City Mahfuza Hannan, Jamaat Majlis-e-Shura member and Bogura regional women’s wing director Sajeda Samad, Majlis-e-Shura member and Chattogram North District women’s wing secretary Shamshunnahar Begum, and central member of Nari Odhikar Andolon Mardia Momtaz.
The nominees include Jaber Ibrahim Rokeya Begum, the mother of a martyr in the July uprising.
The other four nominees are NCP’s joint convener Monira Sharmin and the party’s central joint member secretary Mahmuda Alam Mitu, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party chairman Tasmia Pradhan and Mahbuba Hakim of the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis.
According to the existing law, the 50 reserved seats for women in parliament are allocated proportionally among parties based on their number of general seats in the Jatiya Sangsad.
Accordingly, the BNP alliance will get 36 seats, the Jamaat-led alliance 13, and the independents one.
As per the announced schedule, nomination papers must be submitted to the returning officer at the Election Commission Secretariat by April 21. Scrutiny will be held on April 22 and 23, while the last date for withdrawal is April 29. Voting is scheduled for May 12.
However, since parties nominate candidates equal to their allocated seats, no voting is usually required. Candidates will be declared elected unopposed on the day of withdrawal.
The 13th parliamentary elections were held on February 12 in 299 constituencies out of 300, with results declared for 297 seats. The BNP secured 209 seats, while Jamaat-e-Islami won 68.
The National Citizen Party secured six seats, while Islami Andolon Bangladesh won one, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis secured two seats and Khelafat Majlis won one.
Gano Odhikar Parishad, Bangladesh Jatiya Party, and Ganosamhati Andolan each secured one seat and independent candidates won seven seats.
