SAJJAD HOSSAIN and MAMUNUR RASHID

BNP is still struggling to finalise its nominees for the Jatiya Sangsad seats reserved for women, as a large number of leaders are seeking nominations, whereas Jamaat-e-Islami has completed its preparations and is ready to name its candidates for the 13th parliament.

The Election Commission yesterday announced the election schedule for the 50 seats, with voting slated for May 12.

Several thousand applicants from BNP have submitted their documents, describing their roles in past movements, loyalty to the party, and organisational work, and the party is verifying the papers.

To pick the nominees, the party is considering two methods, reviewing nomination forms and conducting interviews before the high command finalises the names and selecting candidates from the list directly.

Jamaat’s women central committee, meanwhile, has finalises its list prioritising those who can play an effective role in parliament and meet public expectations.

Jamaat is giving preference to nominees from areas where the party lost so that those places can have representation in parliament. It will not nominate family members of its lawmakers.

Several BNP leaders suggested that the nominees might include a mix of senior and young leaders, but leaning mostly towards the young.

The EC said BNP and its alliance will have 36 seats, Jamaat and its partners 13, and six independent candidates, who forged an alliance, will get one seat.

Stating that those who made sacrifices on the streets will get priority, Jatiya Sangsad Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said, “The constitution allows the prime minister to select any woman as a member of parliament.

“The leader of the House will surely make decisions by considering those who have experience in politics and who can play a role in parliament,” the BNP lawmaker told The Daily Star.

Contacted, Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair, Jamaat’s assistant secretary general, said, “We have already finalised the candidates. We will also accommodate qualified candidates from key regions like Chattogram, Khulna, Barishal, and Sylhet.”

Talking to reporters, seven BNP aspirants said they have been in regular contact with senior party leaders over the last two months, highlighting their roles during the anti-government movement and ability to contribute in the House.

Many of the leaders are also hopeful that the party will evaluate their contributions fairly and consider their experience, loyalty, and grassroots work while deciding the nominations.

Speaking to this newspaper, BNP Assistant Secretary Nilufar Chowdhury Moni said, “I tried

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