The heirs of three senior BNP leaders have secured party nominations for three of Chattogram's 16 parliamentary constituencies ahead of the upcoming national elections.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the names this evening (3 November) while revealing the party's list of candidates for 237 seats.
Mir Mohammed Helal Uddin, joint organising secretary of the BNP central committee (Chattogram division), has been nominated for the Chittagong-5 seat.
He is the son of Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin, the BNP chairperson's adviser and former Chattogram mayor. While Mir Nasir has been inactive in politics due to illness, his son Barrister Mir Helal is considered an influential BNP figure in the region.
The Hathazari-based constituency holds significance as the headquarters of the Qawmi Madrasa-led organisation Hefazat-e-Islam.
Barrister Shakila Farzana, daughter of the late Syed Wahidul Alam, a former whip and adviser to the BNP chairperson, was also considered for the seat but ultimately not selected.
In Chattogram-7 (Rangunia), BNP has nominated Humam Quader Chowdhury, son of late BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, who was executed in 2015 for crimes against humanity.
Humam, who was previously a victim of enforced disappearance, is now an active member of the BNP Central Executive Committee.
Rangunia Upazila BNP Convener Professor Qutub Uddin Bahar had also been vying for this nomination.
For Chattogram-16 (Banshkhali), the party has chosen Miskatul Islam Chowdhury Pappa, son of the late Zafrul Islam Chowdhury, former state minister for environment and forests in Khaleda Zia's cabinet.
Miskatul is currently serving as the joint convener of the BNP's Chattogram South District unit.
BNP has yet to announce candidates for Chattogram-9 (Kotwali-Bakaliya) and Chattogram-11 (Bandar-Patenga).
In Chattogram-10 (Khulshi-Halishahar-Pahartoli), BNP has nominated Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, a member of the party's National Standing Committee.
Sayeed Al Noman, son of late BNP vice-chairman Abdullah Al Noman, had sought nomination in this seat but may instead be considered for Chattogram-9, a constituency his father represented multiple times.
Meanwhile, Israfil Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, son of Amir Khasru and a member of BNP's International Affairs Sub-Committee, was eyeing nomination for Chattogram-11.
However, adhering to the party's policy of not nominating multiple candidates from one family, his name was not included.
Nazimur Rahman, member secretary of Chattogram Metropolitan BNP, remains a hopeful contender for the seat.