The High Court today will rule on whether BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia can run for the December 30 general election.

Parliamentary aspirants along with their supporters hit the campaign trail yesterday as electioneering formally kicked off soon after the candidates were allocated polls symbols.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday filed three writ petitions with the High Court, challenging the legality of the Election Commission's rejection of the appeals against cancellation of her all three nomination papers.

The BNP yesterday announced the final list of 298 candidates, including 60 for its allies in the 20-party and the Jatiya Oikyafront.

The exorbitant cost of running for parliament is keeping many honest and qualified candidates from contesting, said an economist yesterday.

Bangladesh's mode of attack switched from spin in the Tests to pace in yesterday's first ODI, but there was no change in the outcome as the hosts outclassed West Indies by five wickets at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

Aggrieved at getting only 29 seats from the ruling Awami League, the Jatiya Party has decided to field its candidates in 145 other constituencies.

Supporters of the Awami League and BNP leaders who were not nominated have demonstrated in the capital and several other districts, and demanded party tickets be given to their favourites.

The most debated topic right now outside politics is probably the banks laden with around Tk 100,000 crore in nonperforming loans and at least Tk 22,000 crore taken out through scams in recent years. This is a roll back on the improvement achieved in the 1990s through reform programmes.

The BNP has left 53 seats for its partners in the 20-party alliance and the Jatiya Oikyafront for the December 30 polls.

The Jatiya Party was going to unveil the final list of candidates at a press conference around 8:00pm yesterday. Journalists and senior JP leaders had already started arriving at the party chief's Banani office for the event.

Bangladesh will be looking to continue their fine run in their favoured fifty-over format this year when Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and his troop takes on a demoralised West Indies in the first of the three-match ODI series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur today.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia lost a legal battle to contest the December 30 national election as the Election Commission yesterday rejected her all three appeals against cancellation of her nominations by returning officers.

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina in a letter yesterday requested the party “rebels” to withdraw their candidacy and join the AL nominees on the campaign trail instead.

The ruling Awami League yesterday unveiled the list of its final candidates in 240 constituencies for the December 30 election with its chief Sheikh Hasina contesting the polls from only one seat for the first time in her political career.

The BNP is banking on new faces in this general election. Yesterday, the party unveiled its final candidates for 202 seats, with at least 90 of them first-time candidates.

The Election Commission yesterday allowed slain finance minister Shah AMS Kibria's son Reza Kibria, Jatiya Party leader Masud Parvez Sohel Rana, and 76 others to run in the December 30 election.

With the national election three weeks away, the Election Commission yesterday asked the home ministry to withdraw Khulna Metropolitan Police Commissioner Humayun Kabir.

At least 24,954 people were killed in road crashes in the country in 2016, according to a World Health Organisation report.

Protest in Viqarunnisa Noon School and College (VNSC) took a new turn as another group of students continued their demonstration for the second day yesterday, demanding release of their teacher Hasna Hena.