Dhaka: Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman are set to be elected unopposed BNP chairperson and senior vice chairman respectively as no one else filed nomination as their rivals, according to a UNB report.

Election agents of Khaleda and Tarique collected nomination papers on their behalf from the party’s returning officer on Wednesday at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.

According to the election schedule, aspirants can collect and submit nomination papers in person or by their nominated agents.

Khaleda’s nominated election agent and party joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi collected nomination papers for her to contest the election to the post of BNP chairperson in the morning.

Tarique’s election agent Mohammad Shahjahan and party’s another joint secretary general secretary collected nomination paper for him hours later to run for the post of BNP vice chairman.

Before receiving the nomination paper, both Rizvi and Shahjahan submitted their authorisation letters with Khaleda and Tarique’s signatures respectively to the returning officer and party standing committee member Nazrul Islam khan. Assistant returning officer and Dhaka district unit BNP president Abdul Mannan was also present.

Talking to reporters after the expiry of the deadline for collecting nomination papers, Nazrul said they had waited until 4:00pm, but no one except the two came to file nomination for the election.

‘Khaleda Zia and Tarique are yet to be elected as the nomination papers will be scrutinised on March 5,’ he said.

Nazrul said they will be able to announce whether the two elected or not after the expiry of the deadline for the withdrawal of nominations on March 6.

The party has recently amended its constitution, including a provision for holding election to party senior vice-chairperson post alongside chairperson one.

Earlier on Monday, BNP standing committee member and its election commissioner Jamiruddin Sircar announced the schedule for elections to the party chairperson and senior vice chairman posts.

Sircar said the elections will be held on the party’s national council day on March 19.

According to the schedule, March 2 was the only date for collecting nomination papers to contest the polls.

The aspirants who collected the nomination papers will have to submit those to the returning officer at BNP’s central office on March 4 (Friday). The nomination papers will be scrutinised on March 5.

The time for the withdrawal of nomination is 10am to 4pm on March 6.

In BNP’s fifth council in December, 2009, Khaleda Zia was elected chairperson unopposed while her eldest son Tarique Rahman was made senior vice chairman.

Khaleda Zia has been holding the party chairperson’s post since 1984.