Jamaat’s reserved women’s seat candidates nearly finalized

PNN News Desk | Dhaka

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has almost completed the process of selecting candidates for reserved women’s seats ahead of the 13th national parliament election.

According to party policy, it has been decided that no family member of current Members of Parliament will be nominated for reserved seats.

Party sources say that Jamaat-led alliance is expected to get a total of 13 reserved women’s seats in the upcoming election scheduled for May 12. Of these, Jamaat itself may receive 12 seats, while alliance partner NCP may get 1 seat, although discussions on seat distribution are still ongoing.

Sources within the party say that preparation for reserved seats began after the national election. Throughout March, potential candidates were screened, with initial lists prepared by the women’s wing and opinions collected from various levels of the organization.

According to the party’s policy, family members of leaders who are already MPs will not be nominated for reserved seats. However, if leaders who failed to win elections have eligible family members, they may be considered.

Names being discussed as potential candidates include Nuruunnesa Siddika (women’s wing secretary), Marzia Momtaz (teacher at Daffodil International University), and lawyer Sabikun Nahar Munni. However, the final list has not yet been published.

Party leaders said priority is being given to organizational skills, honesty, experience, and ability to work in lawmaking and public interest.

Jamaat assistant secretary general Hamidur Rahman Azad said seat distribution has not yet been officially finalized and decisions will be made by the party emir and leadership.