Just two days before the election, the BNP extended its support to independent candidate Salma Islam, a Jatiya Party presidium member running against Awami League nominee and business tycoon Salman F Rahman in Dhaka-1.

The party made the move as the Supreme Court had rejected the candidacy of its candidate Abu Ashfaq citing his “inappropriate resignation” as upazila chairman.

The BNP yesterday also decided to back two other independent candidates in seats where it has no contender. They are Rezaul Karim Bablu in Bogura-7 and Aleya Begum in Joypurhat-1.

Earlier, it lent support to a nominee of the Gonoforum in Sylhet-2, another constituency where it has no candidate. 

The party has to choose 13 more candidates to fill the vacuum created in the seats where its nominees lost candidacies mostly on the same ground – “inappropriate resignation” as upazila chairman.  

First, they lost legal battles at the High Court and then at the apex court in the last two weeks.

According to the Representation of the People Order (RPO), anyone holding “an office of profit” like that of an upazila chairman cannot run for MP. 

Apart from this, the BNP is facing a new crisis -- deployment of polling agents. The party alleged that the polling agents are being harassed by law enforcers and many are on the run fearing “police harassment.”

Party candidates say they have trained polling agents but none of them can stay home.

“In my constituency, there are 123 polling centres and around 600 polling booths. I can deploy a good number of polling agents but police are arresting my potential agents,” Moudud Ahmed, a standing committee member of the BNP, told The Daily Star yesterday.

Moudud, who is contesting from Noakhali-5, said a total of 34 cases have been filed against him since the symbol allocation. Besides, he was “attacked several times”.

He also said around 800 party activists were wounded -- 50 of them seriously injured and taking treatment in various hospitals.

The BNP candidates in Rajshahi region say they trained an adequate number of polling agents, who are now under threats and staying out of home fearing police raids.

Waliur Rahman Rana, chief election agent of BNP candidate Mizanur Rahman Minu in Rajshahi-2, said he submitted a list of 320 polling agents to the returning officer for 137 centres in the city.

“Police raided the houses of most of the polling agents,” he said, adding that police arrested at least 11 people who were appointed as polling agents.

He said Murad Parvez, Rajpara thana BNP's organising secretary, was arrested yesterday noon. “We are frequently reappointing agents when we come know about the arrests.”

Mahfuzur Rahman, election agent of Aminul Haque in Rajshahi-1, said their polling agents are always receiving threats one after another. “For the last two days, our agents are receiving threats.”

Abu Hena, BNP candidate for Rajshahi-4, said he could not finalise polling agents for many centres as “most of them are under continuous threats”.

Nazrul Islam Mondol, BNP candidate for Rajshahi-5, said he could not find any BNP man to pick as polling agents. He said police arrested at least five BNP men yesterday.