Professor Ali Riaz, special assistant to the chief adviser, called on citizens to support the 'July Charter' in the upcoming national referendum. Speaking at a discussion meeting at Dhaka University’s Nawab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building on Tuesday, he described the charter as a pledge written in blood, symbolizing the sacrifices of those who fought against fascist rule. The event was organized by the University Grants Commission to promote the referendum and encourage voter participation.

Riaz emphasized that the July Charter represents a collective debt to the youth, workers, and citizens who protested for freedom and justice. He warned against the return of personal dictatorship and urged constitutional reforms to prevent unilateral amendments. He also criticized past constitutional changes and elections that, according to him, undermined democracy.

Special assistant Monir Haidar added that the referendum will include 48 reform proposals under four categories, ultimately asking whether citizens support the July uprising. He cautioned that failure of the referendum could allow fascism to return, stressing that it is an opportunity to realize the founding goals of equality, dignity, and social justice.

At a press conference in Gulshan on Tuesday, BNP Central Election Steering Committee spokesperson and party chairperson’s adviser Mahdi Amin accused so-called reformists of spreading misinformation about the BNP’s reform agenda. He said the party has consistently advocated for state reform, citing its Vision 2030, 27-point and 31-point reform proposals, and support for a bicameral parliament and term limits for the prime minister. Amin reaffirmed BNP’s stance in favor of a ‘yes’ vote in the upcoming national referendum on state reform.

He expressed concern over the spread of at least 29 false or misleading claims targeting BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman in the past week, citing fact-checking reports as evidence. Amin also objected to the deployment of Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) members in election duties, warning it could compromise neutrality. Additionally, he raised alarm over 34,442 election observers from 16 organizations, alleging some have political affiliations, and urged the Election Commission to verify observer lists and limit numbers per polling center.

Amin announced that Tarique Rahman would visit Barishal and Faridpur on Wednesday for campaign rallies as part of his election tour.

Ariful Islam, the candidate of the 11-party 'Oikyo Boddho Bangladesh' alliance including Jamaat and NCP for Dhaka-18 constituency, said that the people of Bangladesh are rising against Indian dominance, corruption, and extortion. He made the remarks on Tuesday morning while speaking to journalists after distributing leaflets and meeting voters in Uttara’s Rajlakkhi area. According to him, citizens are seeking change and envisioning a new Bangladesh free from corruption and extortion.

Islam stated that his campaign has been receiving a strong response since the alliance’s announcement, and several teams are engaging with the public to understand their expectations. Expressing concern over the election atmosphere, he alleged that his campaigners and party activists are being threatened in various places, and female members are facing obstacles during campaigning. He described these incidents as regrettable and harmful to a free and fair election.

He further claimed that he was directly attacked during campaigning, but despite the attackers being identified, police have not arrested them. He also alleged that the BNP took only superficial action against one attacker who continues to campaign for its candidate.

BNP Standing Committee member and Dhaka-8 constituency candidate Mirza Abbas criticized his political rivals during a meeting with traders at Gulistan’s Hall Market in Dhaka on Tuesday. Referring to his opponents, he said they were behaving like fish out of shallow water, using indecent language to gain attention. Abbas urged them to speak respectfully and avoid spreading slander, asserting that he had always stood against extortion, terrorism, and drug trafficking.

He also accused a junior group of Jamaat-e-Islami of making offensive remarks about the BNP and Bangladeshi working women. Emphasizing his integrity, Abbas challenged his critics to hold a public arbitration at Baitul Mukarram if they doubted his honesty. He stated that he had grown up through hard work, not corruption or unethical means.

Addressing voters, Abbas called on them to guard polling centers on election day and ensure that no polling agents or officers leave without signed result sheets. He warned against allowing vote counting outside polling stations and expressed concern about possible election engineering, urging supporters to remain vigilant.

A delegation from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is scheduled to visit Bangabhaban on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the hacking of party chief Dr. Shafiqur Rahman’s X (Twitter) account. The hack allegedly used Bangabhaban’s official email and was followed by the posting of anti-women content. The delegation will be led by Sirajul Islam, a member of Jamaat’s central election management committee.

According to the report, the incident occurred last Saturday when Dr. Rahman’s X account was compromised and used to post objectionable material. Jamaat’s IT experts later regained control of the account. The party subsequently filed a general diary with the police and lodged complaints with the Cyber Tribunal, the Election Commission, and other government bodies, demanding action over the incident.

The meeting at Bangabhaban aims to protest the misuse of the presidential office’s email and to seek clarification and accountability regarding the hacking incident.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has declared that around Tk 28 lakh crore allegedly laundered from the country will be recovered. Speaking at an election rally in Mymensingh’s Circuit House field on Tuesday, February 3, he said no personal ties or influence would be considered in this effort. He emphasized that those involved in money laundering would be brought back to Bangladesh and face legal action, adding that they would not be allowed to live luxuriously abroad with stolen national wealth.

Dr. Rahman described the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election as a nation-building election rather than an ordinary one. He said a wave of change had risen under public pressure, and that student movements and university elections had shown clear opposition to fascism. The rally was presided over by Mymensingh Metropolitan Jamaat Ameer Maulana Kamrul Ahsan Emrul and attended by several central and local Jamaat leaders.

The event reflected Jamaat’s campaign focus on anti-corruption and national accountability ahead of the election.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Tarique Rahman will deliver a televised address on Bangladesh Television (BTV) on February 9, ahead of the upcoming national election and referendum. The Election Commission (EC) has instructed BTV to make the necessary arrangements for the broadcast, according to a letter issued by EC’s Public Relations Director Md. Ruhul Amin Mallik on February 3.

The EC letter stated that creating a fair and acceptable electoral environment is essential for a free and impartial election. It emphasized that providing equal broadcast opportunities for all political parties on BTV can help ensure fairness. The commission directed BTV to allocate time slots for party leaders’ campaign speeches based on the order of written applications, in accordance with the 2025 Election Conduct Rules.

As no other political party besides the BNP applied for broadcast time, the EC instructed BTV to allocate the final slot on February 9 for Tarique Rahman’s address. A total of 51 parties are contesting in the February 12 election, with campaign activities permitted until 7:30 a.m. on February 10.

The Election Commission (EC) of Bangladesh has started collecting postal votes from registered prisoners through the Postal Vote BD app. Brigadier General (Retd.) Salim Ahmad Khan, head of the EC’s Out of Country Voting System and Implementation project, confirmed on Tuesday, February 3, that the process began that day and will continue until February 7.

A total of 1,533,684 voters at home and abroad have registered through the Postal Vote BD app to participate in the 13th National Parliament election and referendum. Among them, 761,142 registered from within the country, including 6,240 voters currently in legal custody. The EC also reported that postal ballots have been sent to government officials and employees assigned to election duties, with 646,507 ballots dispatched by noon on Tuesday.

The national election and referendum are scheduled for February 12. According to the EC, only postal ballots reaching the respective returning officers by 4:30 p.m. on election day will be counted.

Dhaka-8 constituency candidate and National Citizens Party (NCP) chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari has declared that drug lords will be submerged in the Buriganga River. He made the statement on Tuesday morning during election campaigning and public outreach in Motijheel and Dainik Bangla intersections of the capital. Patwari expressed optimism that an eleven-party alliance would form the next government after the upcoming thirteenth national parliamentary election.

He urged the administration to maintain complete neutrality during the election to ensure fairness, saying that although they do not want an election dominated by money and muscle power, drugs and terrorism have already infiltrated the process. Patwari also pledged to stand by hawkers associated with the Hawkers Association and emphasized his party’s commitment to democracy and a corruption-free Bangladesh.

Patwari further stated that no one would be able to disrupt the election and criticized the presence of a BNP activist allegedly involved with drugs at Dhaka University campus, claiming that wherever there is trouble, BNP members are involved.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has accused the Jamaat-e-Islami chief of attempting to distort the history of Bangladesh’s independence. Speaking on Tuesday at the BNP central office in Nayapaltan, Dhaka, during a prayer gathering marking Shab-e-Barat, Rizvi said Jamaat leaders were making false claims about the country’s independence declaration. He alleged that the Jamaat chief’s recent remarks were an attempt to divert attention from his offensive comments about women.

Rizvi criticized Jamaat for supporting the Pakistani army during the 1971 Liberation War and for failing to acknowledge the atrocities committed against Bangladeshi women. He asserted that the true declaration of independence came from former President Ziaur Rahman, who, as a major, guided the nation and called for armed resistance. Rizvi also recalled Jamaat’s and Sheikh Hasina’s reversal of earlier pledges not to participate in the 1986 election under Ershad, contrasting that with Khaleda Zia’s steadfastness.

He questioned the credibility of Jamaat’s current political motives, saying that revising historical facts for political gain would not be accepted by the public.

The Feni district unit of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir has announced a protest demanding the cancellation of BNP vice chairman Abdul Awal Mintu’s nomination for the Feni-3 constituency. The organization made the announcement on Tuesday, February 3, through a social media notice, citing allegations of loan default and the appearance of Mintu’s name in documents linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The protest march is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. from Mizan Maidan in Feni town, with organizers calling for public participation.

The controversy emerged after the release of several million pages of Epstein-related documents that included details of his political connections and financial contributions. Among the donor lists for former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson’s campaign, Mintu’s name appeared as a Bangladeshi businessman who donated USD 5,000. Epstein himself contributed USD 50,000 to the same campaign. Mintu, a former FBCCI president and CEO of Multimode Group, is contesting the upcoming 13th national election under the BNP’s ‘sheaf of paddy’ symbol.

The inclusion of Mintu’s name in the Epstein documents has sparked renewed political debate, prompting Shibir’s call for protest in Feni.

Nahid Islam, the Dhaka-11 constituency candidate representing an 11-party alliance and convener of the National Citizens Party (NCP), stated that the people will decide through a national referendum how Bangladesh will be governed and how accountability in power will be ensured. He made the remarks on Tuesday during an election campaign event in Badda, Dhaka.

According to Nahid Islam, for the first time in Bangladesh’s history, a national referendum will be held alongside the parliamentary election. The referendum will include proposals for several major constitutional reforms, finalized through discussions and consensus among political parties. If implemented, these reforms would pave the way for establishing an upper house of parliament, ensuring a balance of power, and forming an independent and effective Election Commission.

He added that the upcoming election and referendum will determine the country’s direction for the next 20 to 30 years, shaping the framework for governance and constitutional structure. Nahid Islam emphasized his commitment to eradicating corruption, inequality, and misuse of power if elected, and pledged to fulfill the aspirations of the July uprising that remain unmet.

BNP Secretary General and Thakurgaon-1 candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir stated that a certain group wants to erase the legacy of 1971, which he described as the foundation of Bangladesh’s existence. He made the remarks on Tuesday afternoon at an election meeting organized by Ward No. 6 BNP in Thakurgaon municipality.

Fakhrul emphasized that the Liberation War of 1971 gave the nation its territory and opportunities for progress. He said it is now time to ensure a better future for the next generation. He warned that using religion to mislead people and spreading false propaganda could create confusion among voters.

He further reminded that elections occur once every five years and that voting is a sacred trust. He urged voters to choose candidates who will uphold the value of their votes and not misuse this responsibility.

BNP National Standing Committee member and Cox’s Bazar-1 constituency candidate Salahuddin Ahmed alleged that attempts are being made to distort the history of Bangladesh’s Liberation War. He made the remarks on Tuesday, February 3, during a campaign rally at Jongolkata in Chakaria’s Konakhali Union, organized by the Matamuhuri organizational unit of BNP in support of the party’s election symbol.

Ahmed criticized Jamaat-e-Islami, saying those who opposed Bangladesh’s independence in 1971 are now trying to rewrite the Liberation War narrative. He referred to a recent statement by Jamaat’s Ameer, which he described as misleading and false regarding the declaration of independence. Ahmed accused Jamaat of trying to present itself as a pro-Liberation force by recruiting a freedom fighter and using that association for political gain.

He further condemned Jamaat’s recent comments about working women, calling them insulting and harmful to women’s employment. Local BNP leaders, including district and upazila organizers, were present at the event.

BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman has pledged to provide free Wi-Fi and various facilities for students across Bangladesh if his party wins the upcoming election. The announcement was conveyed by Bir Muktijoddha Abdus Salam, chief coordinator of BNP’s election management committee for Dhaka-17, during a digital Wi-Fi inauguration event at Government Titumir College on Tuesday. The event included a discussion between BNP leaders, teachers, and students of the college.

Abdus Salam said the initiative reflects Rahman’s vision to make digital connectivity accessible to all students, regardless of religion or background, to help them access global information, pursue higher education abroad, and find employment opportunities. He emphasized that the digital era demands modern systems and that free Wi-Fi would be a major benefit for financially constrained students. Salam also urged students to practice clean politics, avoid negative political behavior, and promote BNP’s ideals of inclusivity and development.

The event was attended by college faculty, BNP election coordinators, and student leaders, who also commemorated July revolution martyrs with the inauguration of a digital memorial.