Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has instructed its party-nominated candidates to adhere strictly to the rules and regulations set forth by the Election Commission during their election campaigns for the forthcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad polls.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the directives were issued through a letter dispatched to the party candidates. The letter, signed by Nazrul Islam Khan, Chairman of the BNP Central Election Steering Committee and a member of the party’s Standing Committee, outlined that full-scale election campaigning is slated to commence on January 22.
The correspondence emphasized the necessity for strict compliance with all relevant laws regarding the use of banners, billboards, festoons, handbills, leaflets, photographs (portraits), and voter slips. Specific guidelines included maximum size restrictions: banners at 10 feet by 4 feet, billboards at 16 feet by 9 feet, festoons at 18 inches by 24 inches, handbills or leaflets at 8.27 inches by 11.69 inches, photographs (portraits) at 60 centimeters by 45 centimeters, and voter slips at 12 centimeters by 8 centimeters.
Further, the directive stated that posters are not permissible for election campaigns. Banners, festoons, handbills, leaflets, photographs, and voter slips must be monochrome, while billboards and social media content can incorporate color in texts and images.
The guidelines also specified that banners, handbills, leaflets, and festoons may feature the candidate’s electoral symbol and photograph, along with only the portrait photograph of the party’s current chief. Moreover, it is mandatory to include the name and address of the printing press and the printing date on any campaign material.
Candidates are restricted to using a maximum of 20 billboards within a single electoral constituency. Additionally, the deployment of drones, quadcopters, or similar devices during election campaigning and on polling day is strictly forbidden.