Mohiuddin Alamgir

Inclusion of NCP in alliance further complicates calculation

Women remain largely absent from the electoral race, with 30 of the 51 political parties contesting the upcoming national election fielding no female aspirants at all, Election Commission data shows.

BNP’s fight in the national election is shaping up on two fronts: against rival parties outside and against rebel contenders within, threatening to split its vote base.

For the first time, the Anti-Corruption Commission will scrutinise the affidavits of general election aspirants to hold them accountable for their declared assets and liabilities.

Dhaka braces for a high-voltage election as top leaders of three major parties -- the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party -- submitted their nominations on Tuesday.

Aspirants from 51 of the country’s 59 registered political parties have filed nomination papers for the national election scheduled for February 12, according to Election Commission data.

It was the night of February 27, 1991. After a full day of voting, the streets were pulsing with excitement. People at home, in shops, at tea stalls were glued to their television and radio sets. They waited for one announcement.

Political parties are locked in fevered, last-minute negotiations to settle their line-ups for the February 12 polls, as today marks the final deadline for submitting nomination papers to the Election Commission.