13 parties including Awami League sat in a meeting with the EC amid the exclusion of BNP and like-minded parties. This includes the discussed Trinamool BNP, NDM and part of the Gano Forum.
The meeting started at 10:30 am on Saturday (November 4) in the meeting room of Agargaon election building in the capital. Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal presided over that meeting and Election Commissioners are present in that meeting.
Earlier, a two-member delegation led by Awami League presidium member Lt. Col. Retired Farooq Khan appeared at the Election Commission (EC). Apart from Awami League, Bangladesh Supreme Party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, a section of Islami Oikya Jot, Jamiat Ulamae Islam and other parties also participated in the meeting.
LDP, BJP and Kalyan Party – these 3 parties have already written to the EC not to participate in the dialogue. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Communist Party, Khilafat Majlis and BNF have not said anything about participating. The rest of the 13 parties participated in two delegation meetings in the commission.
EC has written to 44 political parties, including Awami League and BNP, for discussion to inform political parties’ views on election preparation.
EC officials said that among the 44 parties registered for the meeting today, 22 parties including Bangladesh Awami League have been given letters to sit in the discussion in the morning and 22 parties including BNP in the afternoon. In this case, Awami League has been given time at 10:30 in the morning, and BNP has been given time at 3 in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, EC sources said that all work is progressing with the aim of announcing the schedule in the second week of November. It is scheduled to go to polls in the first week of January.
