382 independents vie for 221 seats
Over half of them from AL
A total of 382 independents are contesting 221 seats in the January 7 parliamentary polls, meaning more independents are running this time than in the last three national elections.
Awami League insiders said more than half of the independents are leaders of the ruling party and that they would become "a headache" for party ticket holders.
Independent aspirants may emerge as main competitors of the AL nominees in at least 125 constituencies. At least 28 incumbent AL MPs are among the independents.
Earlier this month, AL Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim said the party was allowing its leaders to run as independents to make the election more competitive.
Speaking to The Daily Star, Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar said the AL has adopted the strategy to allow its leaders to run as independents and dummy candidates so that the number of candidates is increased and the contest can be held among themselves.
A total of 128 independents took part in the 2018 national election, according to EC data. As many as 39 political parties participated in that election.
Some 104 aspirants ran as independents in the 2014 parliamentary polls. Only 12 political parties joined the race amid a boycott by the BNP and many other opposition parties, leading to 153 lawmakers getting elected unopposed.
According to primary data from the EC, 1,895 candidates are running this time. Of them, 1,512 have been nominated by 27 registered political parties, including the AL and its 14-party alliance partners.
Seventeen political parties, including the BNP and like-minded parties, are boycotting the polls, saying that a free and fair election is not possible under the incumbent government.
Jatiya Party has fielded the highest number of candidates (265), followed by AL (263), EC sources said.
Thirty-two AL nominees pulled out of the race as the party left their constituencies for the candidates of the main opposition Jatiya Party, Workers Party of Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, and Jatiya Party (Manju).