The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Saturday began discussions with like-minded political parties, which were its allies in the simultaneous movement waged against the immediate past Awami League regime, for building consensus and maintaining pressure on the interim government to hold elections within the promised timeframe.
On the first day of the discussion on Saturday, the party held separate meetings with the leaders of 12-party alliance and Liberal Democratic Party at the BNP chairperson鈥檚 political office in Gulshan in the capital.
Following the meetings, BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan told reporters that they started engagement with their allies to brief them on the outcome of their discussion with the chief adviser held on April 16.
鈥楾his meeting was to decide our future activities as we demand elections by December,鈥� he said.
One of the leaders of the 12-party alliance, preferring anonymity, told 抖阴精品 that they did not discuss any programme for waging a movement at their meeting.
Instead, the discussions focused on keep pressuring the government to hold elections as early as possible within the timeframe between December 2025 and June 2026, as chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus promised, the alliance leader said.
The meetings were led by BNP standing committee members Nazrul Islam Khan and Selima Rahman.
Among the 12-Party Alliance partners present at the meeting were Jatiya Party (Zafar) chairman Mustafa Jamal Haider, Liberal Democratic Party Bangladesh chairman Shahadat Hossain Salim and Bangladesh Jatiya Dal聽chairman Syed Ehsanul Huda.
However, a six-member delegation from the Liberal Democratic Party, led by Redwan Ahmed, attended a separate meeting with the BNP.
BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan said that a final decision regarding the demand for holding elections by December would be made after consultations with all the parties involved in the simultaneous movement.
鈥業 don鈥檛 think we need to launch a movement for elections because we are the ones who supported the government,鈥� he said.
Twelve-Party Alliance leader Mustafa Jamal Haider said that they were pleased that the chief adviser iterated his position about holding general elections between December and June at his recent meeting with the BNP.
鈥榃e welcome his statement and the fact that his stance remains unwavering,鈥� he said.
Mustafa Jamal also said that their demand was to complete the elections by December, underlining that they strongly believed it was possible to hold the elections in that timeframe.
LDP leader Redwan Ahmed said that his party supported the BNP鈥檚 demands regarding reform proposals and national elections.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said that the reform proposals agreed upon by all political parties could form the basis of a 鈥楯uly Charter鈥�, while more fundamental issues, such as, constitutional amendments, should be addressed by the next elected parliament.
鈥業n line with the chief adviser鈥檚 commitment made in his address, we demand national elections by December, following the completion of minimal reforms,鈥� he said.