Shakhawat Liton

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was convicted in Zia Charitable Trust corruption case and sentenced to seven years' rigorous imprisonment by a special court in her absence yesterday.

There is a paradoxical situation that troubles us as we move closer to the next parliamentary election.

The hope that the party may win the election if it is held in a free and fair manner has spurred a large number of BNP leaders to emerge as MP aspirants.

The civil service bill placed in parliament on Sunday with a provision to shield government employees from arrest by police in cases filed against them on charges of criminal offences committed in connection with their duties, raises question if political memories are really wafer thin.

The Awami League high command is worried as almost all the 300 constituencies have four to five party leaders each vigorously campaigning for nominations in the parliamentary polls, according to AL insiders.

In their manifestos for the next national polls, the Awami League wants to focus on the government's "success stories" while the BNP on its “goal to restore democracy", insiders say.

A comment made by Sir Winston Churchill more than seven decades ago beautifully sums up the importance of voters in democracy: “At the bottom of all tributes paid to democracy is the little man, walking into a little booth, with a little pencil, making a little cross on a little bit of paper—no amount of rhetoric or voluminous discussion can possibly diminish the overwhelming importance of that point.”

BNP data on police cases filed against its leaders and activists in about five weeks reveal a surprising number of unidentified accused, making the party extremely worried about its grassroots ahead of the upcoming parliamentary polls.

Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP) denies Jatiya Oikyafront of permission for holding a rally in the city on October 23 on security ground.

The ruling Awami League is preparing to beef up electioneering across the country in the next two weeks before the Election Commission announces the schedule of the upcoming parliamentary polls.

The ruling Awami League led 14-party alliance has accused Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar of "violating the oath of secrecy" and it thinks he should resign.

Less than two weeks before the 90-day countdown begins for holding the general election, a number of contentious political issues remain unresolved.

The BNP has found itself in an awkward situation again. After weeks of talks and tough negotiations, the party just managed to bring together Dr Kamal Hossain's Gonoforum and three other parties and launch a new alliance, called Jatiya Oikyafront, on Saturday.

The Awami League and the BNP, who lead the two major alliances, may not have much to offer their own leaders in the parliamentary polls if they want to keep their partners happy.

Thirteen years ago, the then Election Commission, led by Justice MA Aziz, got itself caught up in a controversy by inviting 116 political parties to talks over preparing the voter list.

A landmark verdict by the Indian Supreme Court scrapping a section of country's IT law that authorised police to arrest people for

After weeks of talks and intense negotiations, the BNP and three other political parties formally launched an alliance called Jatiya Oikyo Front yesterday, just months before the national election. The alliance, which also includes Dr Kamal Hossain-led Jatiya Oikya Prokriya, unveiled an 11-point goals and promised to bring sweeping reforms in governance if voted to power. "We are making the call for a national unity in the interest of the nation, not for any particular political party. We expect others to join the Jatiya Oikya Front," Dr Kamal told a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club last evening.

It was the cabinet's oath-taking night after the 2001 parliamentary elections. The phone rang in the newsroom of The Daily Star. On the other end of the phone was the quivering voice of a man who, in his Dhaka University student days, was an infamous “armed cadre” of a political party.

A court observation in the August 21 grenade attack case verdicts highlights the expertise of the attackers.

It was a well-orchestrated plan, executed through abuse of state power, a special court has ruled, delivering verdicts in the two cases filed over the grenade attack on an Awami League rally 14 years ago.