The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has begun all-out preparations for campaigning in the 13th National Parliamentary Election. As part of this initiative, the party concluded workshops and consultation meetings with its candidates in 272 constituencies last Saturday. In constituencies where candidates have not yet been announced, lists of potential nominees are being finalized.

Candidacies in four constituencies of Bagerhat district have largely been confirmed. The initially selected candidates from these seats also participated in the workshop.

According to party sources, two influential leaders from the Hindu community are being nominated as BNP candidates in Bagerhat. Kapil Krishna Mandal, General Secretary of the World Hindu Council and General Secretary of the Matua Community Unity Alliance, will contest from Bagerhat-1, while Somnath Dey, President of the Bangladesh chapter of the World Hindu Council, is being nominated for Bagerhat-4.

Notably, Somnath Dey previously contested the 2014 election as a Jatiya Party candidate and later joined the Awami League in 2019. Following the political developments of 5 August 2024, he resigned from the Awami League on 29 August and is now contesting the election as a BNP candidate.

Senior BNP leaders said an official announcement on seat-sharing with alliance partners would be made at a press conference within the next two to three days. In constituencies where agreements are reached, BNP candidates will be withdrawn, allowing alliance partners to contest with their own party symbols.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Mohammad Zakir Hossain, a district BNP leader and Supreme Court lawyer, is being nominated for Bagerhat-2 (Sadar and Kachua). In Chattogram-4, the party has decided to replace Kazi Salauddin with Aslam Chowdhury as its candidate.

During the three-phase workshop, discussions focused on election strategies and the party’s blueprint for state reform. Special emphasis was placed on delivering BNP’s announced “31-point” agenda and people-oriented “8-point” program directly to voters. Candidates were also briefed on ensuring citizen services through a digital network covering the proposed “Family Card,” “Health Card,” and “Agriculture Card.”

On the concluding day, BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman joined virtually from London and said, “I want to see all candidates nominated with the Sheaf of Paddy symbol elected as Members of Parliament. There is no alternative to victory.”

To strengthen constituency-based election-day management, BNP has collected detailed information for each seat, including one election agent, two polling-agent trainers, and one social media manager.