Photo : Collected

DHAKA, Sept 23, 2025 (BSS)- Narir Rajnoitik Odhikar Forum (NROF) today demanded that political parties must nominate 33 percent women candidates mandatorily outside the reserved seats in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections.

The forum made this demand during a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin at the Agargaon Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital. 

Four other election commissioners and the EC's senior secretary were present at the time.

After the meeting, Women's Affairs Reform Commission member Maheen Sultan told reporters, "We have raised our demands and expectations to ensure equal status of women voters, women candidates and women citizens.” 

The Election Commission (EC) has also announced to take several steps, she said. 

“We want nomination of 33 percent women candidates from all parties so that proper women representation can be ensured in the elections," he said.

In the meeting, NROF placed its  demands to the CEC regarding mandatory nomination of women candidates, women's leadership in party structures, allocation of funds equal to the expenditure limit for election campaigns, policies and guidelines to prevent harassment online and offline, direct elections to reserved seats in parliament and keeping 'no' votes in all parliamentary seats.

Regarding the nomination of women candidates, the forum demanded that in the next election, political parties will have to mandatorily nominate at least 33 percent of their women candidates outside the reserved seats and this should be increased to 50 percent by 2030. This provision should be included in the Representation of the People Order (RPO). 

Their demands included that failure to comply with this provision will question the registration and eligibility of the concerned political party to participate in the election and the concerned political party will be subject to legal disciplinary measures of the Election Commission.