BNP sees 'no disagreement' in holding elections in February

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) shrugged off talks of disagreement over the proposal to hold the next parliamentary elections in February, as suggested by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.

At a briefing in Dhaka on Tuesday, Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said: “There is a national consensus on holding elections before Ramadan. We do not think there is any disagreement on this.

“We have come to this point for different reasons and the nation is united in this consensus.”

Yunus met acting BNP chairman Tarique Rahman in London on Friday. In a joint statement issued after the meeting, Yunus hinted at a possible February election.

However, the joint announcement has since drawn questions from other opposition groups, including Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP).

Responding to those concerns, Khosru said: “You probably know better than I do -- the nation was pleased to hear about this potential decision. There’s a sense of relief, and I don’t see any issues at this point.”

He also said that while political actors can discuss likely timelines, the final decision on the election date must come from the Election Commission.

“The government can't mention the election dates and neither can we. It will come from the Election Commission. We will wait for that.”

Asked about Jamaat’s objection to the joint statement, Khosru declined to comment directly. “I don’t want to speak about other parties' opinions. Everyone should have the right to express their views freely.”