The BNP is unlikely to participate in the upcoming district council elections scheduled for December, as the party has a few elected public representatives in different local government bodies.

According to the District Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016, only the elected representatives of local government bodies -- city corporations, upazila parishads and union parishads -- will vote to elect a chairman, 15 general and five women members in each district council.

Party insiders say most of its elected representatives in local government bodies are either behind bars or on the run.

Although the BNP boycotted the January 5, 2014, national election, it contested all the local government elections held later.

The party also alleged that fair election was not possible under the incumbent Election Commission and therefore, the chance of its participation in the district council elections was very slim.

"The chance of participating in the election is very slim as the election conducting system is faulty. But the final decision [in this regard] would be made at the party's standing committee meeting soon," BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told The Daily Star yesterday.

Firstly, he said, the voters of district council elections are the elected representatives of local government bodies, and they are mostly from the ruling party.

Secondly, the incumbent Election Commission has failed to conduct a fair election so far, the BNP spokesperson added.

In 2000, the Awami League-led government repealed the Zila Parishad Act, 1988, and passed the District Council Act, 2000, with a provision for direct polls. But no elections to the councils have been held so far.

In December 2011, the AL government appointed 61 administrators, mostly top leaders of the ruling party's district units, to as many district councils.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said, "We have repeatedly said that fair election is not possible under the incumbent Election Commission. It is serving the purpose of the ruling party. So there is a very slim chance of participating in the district council election under this commission."

Mohammad Shahjahan, vice-chairman of the party, said, "We're not concerned about the district council elections. We also have no interest because common people are not the voters of the election."

He alleged that the voters of the district council elections were not elected rather they were selected by the ruling party leaders.

"When the voters of district council elections are themselves controversial, it can be assumed what the results would be. Now our only concern is about the national election," Shahjahan added.

In upazila elections held in 2014, BNP favourites won 166 chairmen posts, while the nominees blessed by the AL secured 235 posts. For vice-chairman posts, the ruling party bagged 358 posts while the BNP secured 299 posts.

The union parishad elections were held in five phases this year. AL candidates won around 2,300 chairmen posts while BNP candidates won some 300 chairmen posts.