under its chief advisor Professor

Muhammad Yunus and holding them by December. A policy decision in this regard was taken at the party's standing committee meeting held on Monday night, sources said.

The source said that in the meeting, the members of the standing committee discussed the statement made by the chief advisor targeting the BNP during his visit to Japan. Last Thursday, during the question and answer session at the Nikkei Forum in Tokyo, Professor Yunus said that not all parties, but only one party in Bangladesh wants elections by December. After that, various parties including the BNP reacted to this.

BNP policymakers believe

that most of the parties that participated in the National Consensus Commission meeting chaired by Professor Muhammad Yunus on Monday rejected his statement calling for elections by December. However, Professor Yunus still stands by his previous position. He has said several times in various events and interviews that elections will be held between December this year and June next year.

It is learnt that BNP will continue all efforts to put pressure on the government to hold elections by December. No matter how much disagreement there may be with the government regarding the timing of the elections, BNP wants elections under Professor Muhammad Yunus. However, if the government is unable to hold the elections, then it will think differently. Therefore, it has been decided to continue the program by keeping like-minded political parties together to hold elections by December.

The meeting also criticized

the government for delaying Ishraq Hossain's swearing-in as the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation even after the High Court verdict. BNP leaders believe that this government is doing the same thing as the fascist Sheikh Hasina government did in the past.

BNP Standing Committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud told Prothom Alo, "We think there is no obstacle to holding the elections by December. Because if the elections are not held soon, it will be a loss for the country."

BNP Secretary General Mirza

Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other members were present at the party's standing committee meeting held at its Gulshan office under the chairmanship of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman. Tarique Rahman joined virtually from London and Mirza Fakhrul Islam from Bangkok.