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matter greatly to us. As such, giving outsiders a chance, even at the interview stage, was both surprising and disappointing.”

Meanwhile, senior BNP leaders also criticised the process being followed, saying that the party allowed almost anyone who bought a nomination form to sit for the interview without proper screening or following the spirit of the party’s constitution.

Under the party constitution, the BNP parliamentary board is meant to nominate candidates through a panel-based system, with district leaders joining the board and final candidates being chosen from panels prepared by the relevant local units of the constituency.

The party has already interviewed more than 900 aspirants at its Gulshan chairperson’s office, with the process led by BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman alongside members of the standing committee.

While the party is yet to decide when it will announce the final list of candidates, two standing committee members who took part in the interviews indicated the names may be sent directly to the Election Commission after being finalised by Tarique Rahman.

BNP leaders said they were struggling to finalise the nominees from a competitive selection process, with each seat having around 25 aspirants.

During the interviews, BNP chief Tarique Rahman instructed the aspirants to accept the party’s decision, adding that the party would evaluate those who fail to secure nomination and consider them for future responsibilities.

Earlier, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said they will consider the candidates based on their contributions to the party during the last 15-16 years of political struggle, educational background, ability to speak in parliament, and knowledge of parliamentary activities.

The BNP yesterday completed the list of 36 candidates for the reserved seats for women in parliament, party insiders said.

Among the candidates under discussion are BNP Assistant Secretary Nilufar Chowdhury Moni, BNP Assistant Training Affairs Secretary and former MP Rehana Akter Ranu, BNP Local Government Affairs Assistant Secretary Shammi Akter, BNP leader Sunsila Jabrin Priyanka, and Dhaka District unit BNP General Secretary Nipun Roy Chowdhury.

BNP Media Cell member Mahmuda Habiba and Mayer Daak coordinator Sanjida Islam Tulee are also being discussed.

Party insiders said two former NCP leaders, who resigned from the party, are also being considered for nomination to the reserved seats for women in parliament.

431 COLLECT NOMINATION PAPERS FROM EC

Meanwhile, a total of 431 aspirants seeking nominations from three political parties, including the BNP, have collected nomination papers from the Election Commission over the past 12 days to contest the 50 reserved women’s seats in the 13th National Parliament.

Of them, 417 were from BNP, 13 from Jamaat-e-Islami, and one from Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis.

However, only three candidates -- Sanjida Islam Tulee, Nilufar Yasmin Moni, and Mahbuba Rahman of BNP -- have submitted their papers till yesterday afternoon.

Mohammad Monir Hossain, EC’s deputy secretary and assistant returning officer for the election to the women’s reserved seats, confirmed the information.

The EC announced the election schedule on April 8, setting voting for May 12.

According to the schedule, the deadline for submission of nomination papers is April 21 at the EC Secretariat. Scrutiny will be held on April 22-23, appeals filing on April 26, hearing of appeals on April 27-28, deadline for withdrawal of candidacy on April 29, and allocation of electoral symbols on April 30.

On seat distribution, BNP and its alliance will get 36 seats, Jamaat-e-Islami and its partners will get 13 seats, and six independent candidates who have formed an alliance will receive one seat.

The EC published the voter list for the election on April 6, with 298 lawmakers eligible to vote.