Dhaka, Nov. 3 -- The Bangladesh Nationalist Party has released the first batch of 237 potential candidates for the next national election, but several senior leaders were conspicuously absent.

The announcement came at a press conference on Monday at the party chairperson's office in Gulshan, Dhaka, where Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir read out the names.

The briefing followed a marathon three-and-a-half-hour meeting attended virtually by Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman from London.

Of the 14-member BNP standing committee, 10 were included in the initial list, leaving out veteran leaders Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, Rafiqul Islam Mia, Nazrul Islam Khan, and Selima Rahman. Notably, Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar's son, Barrist...