The Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) internal revolt has spilled into seats earmarked for allies, unsettling coalition partners and exposing the limits of party discipline ahead of the parliamentary election.

Despite expulsions, back-door negotiations, and repeated warnings from the leadership, BNP's “rebel” candidates remain in the race as independents in nearly a quarter of all constituencies. These include seats the party had formally conceded to its allies as part of electoral understandings.

Coalition partners say they are uncomfortable but largely powerless. Some speak of “political courtesy”, while others quietly acknowledge there is little they can do.

Rebels in Seats Ceded to Allies

A review of the final candidate list shows BNP has ceded 17 constituencies to long-time allies from its movement-era partnerships.

Of these, nine seats are being contested by allied candidates under their own party symbols.

Eight seats are being fought by candidates who formally left their own parties, joined the BNP, and are now running under the “Sheaf of Paddy” symbol.

However, data show that six of the nine allied candidates contesting under their own symbols are facing BNP rebel candidates; former party leaders now running independently after defying official nominations.

In the remaining eight seats where candidates are contesting under the BNP symbol, five will face BNP rebels, most of whom have already been expelled from the party for insubordination.

Scale of The Rebellion

Tuesday marked the final deadline for withdrawing nominations. A nationwide review of Election Commission (EC) data shows that as many as 90 BNP leaders are contesting as independent “rebels” across 79 parliamentary constituencies.

On Wednesday, the EC formally allocated election symbols. Later that night, the BNP announced the expulsion of 59 leaders, including central committee members and former MPs elected on the party ticket.

Earlier, ahead of the election schedule, 11 leaders had already been expelled on similar grounds. The party later withdrew expulsion orders against two after they pulled out of the race.

With the Feb 12 election approaching, 305 candidates withdrew by Tuesday’s deadline, leaving 1,967 candidates competing across 298 seats (excluding Pabna-1 and Pabna-2). Five more were later added after winning appeals.

The most crowded race is Dhaka-12, with 15 candidates. The least contested seat is Pirojpur-1, with just two candidates.

Upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election's campaigning officially begins on Thursday.

A New Election Anomaly

This election has introduced an unprecedented complication for alliances.

Under earlier rules, candidates from allied parties could contest elections using the symbol of the major alliance partner. That provision applied in the past three elections.

But reforms to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) for the parliamentary election require alliance partners to contest under their own party symbols, even if they are part of a coalition.

The BNP opposed the change and demanded a return to the previous system. The Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP), however, supported retaining the new rule.

The BNP staged demonstrations at the Election Commission and later appealed to the law advisor. The government ultimately refused to reverse the amendment.

In past elections, alliance partners had won seats using the "Boat" or Sheaf of Paddy symbols. This time, that route is closed, intensifying the impact of rebel candidacies.

Allies Facing Rebels Head-on

In multiple constituencies, allied candidates are now confronting BNP rebels directly:

Bogura-2: Mahmudur Rahman Manna of Nagorik Oikko (Kettle) faces Mir Shahe Alam, president of Shibganj Upazila BNP (Sheaf of Paddy).

Patuakhali-3: Nurul Haque Nur, president of Gono Odhikar Parishad (Truck), has to contend with Hasan Mamun, a BNP Executive Committee member.

Dhaka-12: Saiful Haque, general secretary of Bangladesh Revolutionary Workers Party (Hammer), is challenged by Saiful Alam Nirab, former convener of BNP’s Dhaka North city unit and ex-Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal president.

Sylhet-5: Ubaidullah Faruq of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh (Date Tree) is pitted against Mamunur Rashid, BNP district vice-president, widely known as “CUCSU Mamun”.

Narayanganj-4: Monir Hossain Qasemi, joint secretary general of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Date Tree), faces two BNP rebels -- Executive Committee member Gias Uddin, and Shahe Alam, also an Executive Committee member and former Fatullah thana BNP president.

Brahmanbaria-2: Junaid Al Habib, joint secretary general of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Date Tree), faces two former BNP leaders: former MP and BNP's International Affairs Assistant Secretary Rumeen Farhana, and district BNP member SN Tarun Dey.

Some seats Remain Rebel-Free 

A handful of allied candidates have avoided internal BNP challenges altogether. These are:

Brahmanbaria-6: Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolon (Head), faces no BNP rebel.

Nilphamari-1: Manjurul Islam Afendi, secretary general of Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam (Date Tree), is unchallenged by BNP rebels.

Bhola-1: Andaleeve Rahman Partho, chairman of the Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), faces no BNP dissident.

Unease Without Leverage

Privately, alliance partners admit discomfort but concede they lack leverage over BNP’s internal rifts.

Publicly, they speak of restraint. One ally described the situation as a test of “political courtesy”. Another said bluntly that once nomination deadlines passed, “there was nothing left to be done”.

For the BNP, the rebellion has become a structural risk: not merely a matter of discipline, but a direct threat to alliance arithmetic. One that could fracture votes in precisely the seats meant to consolidate strength.

As campaigning begins, the party enters the final stretch of the election with its internal fault lines fully exposed.

Sheaf of Paddy Under Siege

Several BNP nominees carrying the Sheaf of Paddy are now facing challengers from within their own ranks. Those are expelled leaders, local heavyweights and former office-holders running as independents.

In Kishoreganj-5, Sayed Ehsanul Huda, recently inducted into the BNP and swiftly handed the party ticket, faces Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Iqbal, the Bajitpur Upazila BNP president now standing as a “rebel”.

Others have escaped such head-on collisions. In Dhaka-13, Badiul Alam Majumder Hajjaj, founder of the National Democratic Movement, resigned from his party, joined the BNP and secured the nomination without facing an internal challenger.

The same is true in Pirojpur-1, where Mostafa Jamal Haider of the Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar faction) is contesting with the Sheaf of Paddy uncontested by BNP dissidents.

Elsewhere, the pattern is less forgiving.

In Narail-2, Fariduzzaman Farhad of the National People’s Party is running under the BNP symbol but faces Monirul Islam, the district BNP general secretary.

In Jashore-5, Mufti Rashid bin Waqas of Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam, who joined the BNP before the polls, must contend with Shahid Mohammad Iqbal Hossain, former Monirampur Upazila BNP president.

Jhenaidah-4 has pitted Rashed Khan, formerly of Gono Odhikar Parishad and now a BNP nominee, against Saiful Islam Firoz, a senior BNP volunteer wing leader.

In Cumilla-7, Redwan Ahmed, a former state minister who returned to the BNP after resigning from the LDP, faces Atikul Alam Shawon, the Chandina Upazila BNP president.

BNP Ignored Me: Manna

Bogura-2 has become the most awkward test of alliance discipline.

Nagorik Oikko chief Manna was announced as the BNP-backed alliance candidate. But amid complications over loan defaults, the BNP also allowed Shibganj Upazila BNP President Shahe Alam to submit nomination papers.

Although Manna’s candidacy was eventually restored, Shahe Alam refused to withdraw and on Wednesday collected the Sheaf of Paddy symbol.

As a result, Manna is contesting Bogura-2 under his party’s Kettle symbol in a rare exception where an alliance candidate is directly opposed by a BNP nominee. However, Manna is also contesting Dhaka-18.

“They have nominated their candidate and ignored me,” he told reporters, visibly frustrated. “There is no scope for a solution now.”

Shahe Alam declined to comment, saying only that “the party will speak”.

BNP election committee spokesperson Mahdi said the matter would now be dealt with internally. “If anyone remains a candidate, organisational action will follow,” he said.

Rebels Defend Their Stand

Several dissidents insist their candidacies reflect grassroots sentiment rather than defiance.

In Jashore-5, Iqbal said he had campaigned for weeks as the BNP nominee before being replaced.

“The new nominee has no standing,” he said. “I had no option but to continue.”

In Patuakhali-3, Hasan Mamun said he had resigned from the BNP before filing papers. “For 46 years, the BNP has never won here,” he said.

“I stood because the activists demanded it. Alliance politics blocked my nomination.”

In Narayanganj-4, Md Shah Alam, who narrowly lost in 2008, said voters would choose people over symbols. “If the election is neutral, I will win,” he said.

Former MP Muhammad Gias Uddin has also been expelled as a “rebel” in the same seat.

What The BNP says

Efforts to reach several senior BNP figures were unsuccessful.

One Standing Committee member said bluntly: “Without intervention from the top leadership, alliance candidates will remain exposed.”

BNP Joint Secretary General Syed Emran Saleh Prince, himself facing a rebel in Mymensingh-1, said: “Those who stand against BNP are betraying the party. The ballot will answer them.”

Half Withdraw, Fault Lines Remain 

Initially, around 179 BNP leaders filed nominations in 118 constituencies across 63 districts, defying party decisions.

After warnings, negotiations and direct intervention -- including calls from Tarique Rahman -- about half withdrew.

But even after the final deadline, nearly a quarter of constituencies still feature former BNP leaders running independently against the Sheaf of Paddy.

On Wednesday night, the party expelled another 59 members in a final show of discipline as campaigning begins, but one that underscores how deep the fractures now run.