244 aspirants for 20 Dhaka seats

A total of 244 aspirants, either with a party ticket or independently, will fight in the 20 constituencies of Dhaka, according to the data of two Returning Offices of the district.

This means every constituency has got around 12 candidates.

A total of 46 independent aspirants, primarily from the Awami League, are contesting across all 20 constituencies, with The Daily Star identifying at least 25 AL independents inside Dhaka.

Jatiya Party nominated the highest 32 aspirants while AL, Zaker Party and National People's Party 20 candidates each.

Bangladesh Sangskritik Muktijote nominated 17 party men in different constituencies while Trinomool BNP 14, Bangladesh Supreme Party 13 and Bangladesh Nationalist Front 12.

A total of 23 parties fielded candidates in Dhaka.

Dhaka-5, covering Demra and part of Kadamtali, has the highest aspirant count with 21, including six independents and two from the lesser-known Bangladesh Congress party.

The AL candidate for Dhaka 5 is Harunor Rashid Munna and Jatiya Party nominated Mir Abdus Sabur.

Workers Party of Bangladesh, Bikalpadhara Bangladesh, Islamic Front Bangladesh and Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon have one candidate each in Dhaka.

Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon, previously elected from Dhaka-8 with AL support, now submits his nomination from Barishal 4 and 5 after AL's announcement of Bahauddin Nasim in Dhaka-8.

Among the AL independent candidates -- Shahin Ahmed in Dhaka-2, Awlad Hossain in Dhaka-3, Kamrul Hasan and Moshiur Rahman Molla in Dhaka-5, Hasibur Rahman Manik in Dhaka-7, Sabina Akter Tuhin, Md Almas Uddin and Kazi Faridul Haque in Dhaka-14, Salauddin Robin in Dhaka-16, Md Jafar Iqbal, Anisur Rahman and Nazim Uddin in Dhaka-18, Saiful Islam and Murad Jong in Dhaka 19 and Mohaddesh Hossain in Dhaka-20 -- hold posts in different the party committees.

Countrywide, 71 incumbent lawmakers were denied AL nomination, among them 61 are participating as independents.

However, in Dhaka, no independent aspirants are incumbent MPs.