BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Friday said the national election must not be delayed as the people’s fundamental right to vote cannot be compromised for the convenience of any political party or to give it time to reorganise.

“Some may need time to organise their party, others may need time to gather allies and friends. That’s why the basic human rights of the people to vote will be delayed. This cannot happen,” he told a discussion.

The BNP leader said they believe that their demand—to hold the election by December—is entirely logical and no one has been able to present any reasonable proposal or argument against it.

“That is why I reiterate—there is no alternative to political power, and no substitute for an elected government in addressing, confronting, and resolving the various challenges facing this country. The sooner our interim government understands this, the better,” he said.

Bangladesh Labour Party arranged the programme titled ‘Maulana Abdul Matin’s Role in Building an Exploitation-Free Society’ at the Jatiya Press Club, marking the 29th death anniversary of Bangladesh Labour Party founder Maulana Abdul Matin. 

Nazrul, a BNP Standing Committee Member, questioned the logic behind delaying the national election, asking the interim government to explain the obstacles to holding the election by December.

He pointed out that National Consensus Commission vice chair Professor Ali Riaz has recently expressed optimism that after discussions with all political parties, they will be able to reach a point by May where it will be clear which reform proposals all political parties agree upon, and which proposals are subject to differing opinions.

“If we can understand this by May, is it not possible by June… We put together the proposals on which we all agree and prepare a charter, and we all sign it and agree that the reforms should be implemented immediately,” the BNP leader said.

Nazrul said the reforms which could be implemented through laws or ordinances should be carried out immediately, while those requiring constitutional amendments could be addressed by the next elected parliament.

“If all political parties reached a consensus and signed a joint declaration, work would move forward based on that consensus. If such progress could be made by June—or even by July—he questioned what obstacle could possibly remain to prevent the election from being held by December,” he said. 

The BNP leader questioned the logic behind delaying the national election beyond December, saying that neither the Election Commission nor political realities justify such a delay.

He also mentioned that the Election Commission itself has said it can complete all preparations by June.

Nazrul said BNP and its like-minded parties had long proposed comprehensive reform agendas—from Ziaur Rahman’s 19-point programme to Tarique Rahman’s 27-point, and the 31-point state reform plan announced in 2023.

He also said BNP is not against reform but fully in favour of it, adding that reform is a continuous process, not something to be completed all at once.