The BNP has informally started the process for a seat sharing deal with Jamaat-e-Islami and other alliance partners, indicating that it would not sever ties with the Islamist party.

The BNP is likely to announce its "greater national unity" among different political parties next week as leaders of several parties have “reached a consensus” on some common issues, including holding of the election under a nonpartisan government.

Warning that the next national elections would be tough, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked her party's grassroots leaders to resolve their internal conflicts ahead of the polls slated for December.

China yesterday said it wants to see a peaceful transition of power in Bangladesh through a smooth general election.

With the next national polls a year away, the ruling Awami League is scaling up its organisational activities while the BNP is focused on drumming up support for a non-partisan election-time government.

Two years ago, BJP, the ruling party in India, claimed to be the world's largest political party with 8.8 crore members, surpassing the Communist Party of China, which has 8.6 crore.

BNP alleges that the government has decided to hold the local body polls under party banner in December and January only to avoid the demand of national polls.

BNP standing committee member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman urges government to hold an inclusive parliamentary election soon saying time for solution to "the existing political impasse" is running out.

BNP-led 20-party alliance calls a fresh spell of 72-hour countrywide hartal from Sunday morning protesting “conspiracy to starve its chief Khaleda Zia to death”