People associated with the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus have started to raise questions from political parties and leaders as they have made various statements about the timing of the upcoming national elections.

Asif Nazrul, the government's legal adviser, came to the discussion after giving a speech about the election.

During a TV discussion last Thursday, he said that elections could be held by 2025, but later clarified on Saturday that it is a matter for the chief adviser's decision.

In such a situation, BNP, one of the main political parties, feels that due to the ambiguity of the interim government about the elections, doubts are being created in the public mind.

The Acting Chairman of the party Tariq Rahman himself drew the government's attention to this doubt.

A political analyst says the government may not be doing anything out of a desire to hold on to power, but due to not fixing a specific deadline, different statements are coming out, which is raising doubts among political parties about the election itself.

Earlier, the army chief talked about one to one-and-a-half years for the election period, but the chief adviser said that will be the date when they announce it. Again in his address to the nation, he said that when the elections will be held is a completely political decision.

Incidentally, three days after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on the 5th of August, the interim government led by Yunus took oath on the 8th of August.

Then in his address to the nation, he announced the formation of several commissions for reforms before the elections. Those commissions have started functioning in the meantime.

However, despite supporting the reform program, BNP has been demanding the announcement of the roadmap for the elections since the beginning of this government. On the other hand, Jamaat-e-Islami has been insisting on implementing reform programs before the elections.

Army Chief and Chief Adviser have different statements

After the formation of the interim government, various political parties, including the BNP, called for the announcement of a roadmap for the elections, but there was no clear statement from the government.

Rather, the chief adviser said in his address to the nation - when the election will be held, that is a completely political decision, not our decision. Citizens have to decide when you will leave us.

Meanwhile, in the first week of this month, the BNP again demanded a roadmap for the elections in a dialogue with the chief adviser.

After the discussion, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that elections are our number one priority. However, we have not discussed any months and days with the government in the election roadmap.

But in an interview with Reuters last month, Army chief Waqar-uz-Zaman said the transition to a democratic process should take place within one to one-and-a-half years. But he also emphasized on patience.

"If you ask, that should be a time frame within which we can enter into a democratic process," he said.

Basically, this was a possible limitation of the first election after the current government came to power.

But later, Chief Adviser's press secretary Shafiqul Alam referred to the army chief's comment as 'personal opinion'.

Later, in an interview with Voice of America, the chief adviser said in response to a question about the election date, "When you hear from us, that will be the date."

Statement and explanation of legal counsel

Legal advisor Asif Nazrul said in response to a question on a private television program on Thursday night, "I think, from the point of view of reality, elections will be possible within the next year." There are many issues. This is my initial guess.

He also said that the search committee will be formed soon to form the new election commission. The new Election Commission will then prepare error-free voter lists and then the elections will be held.

After that, a new discussion started in different circles about the possible time of the election.

Because earlier, the Chief of Army Staff had talked about the election within one and a half years i.e. 2025, but it was dismissed as 'personal opinion' by the Chief Adviser's office.

In such a situation, Asif Nazrul explained his statement on his verified Facebook page on Saturday.

There he said - I said in the TV discussion that the election may be possible within the next year, but there are many factors in this case. I did not get a chance to fully explain these factors there. But everyone will understand from the words of our government that reforms and political compromise are talked about for elections. These are the factors.

Explaining his statement to the media, he said that elections are very important policy decisions. Its timing will be fixed under the leadership of the chief adviser to the government. He alone has the authority to declare it.

What Tariq Rahman said

Acting Chairman of BNP Tariq Rahman spoke about the renewed controversy regarding the election date. He said in a speech given virtually at an event of Ziaur Rahman Foundation that there have been different statements from different levels of the government about the possible timing of the national elections.

The mix of government statements on such a desirable and important issue raises various doubts in the minds of the people. People want to see the interim government more responsible people-oriented and effective.

He said that the current government has no choice but to establish a government that is free, fair and impartial and directly elected by the people. For that purpose people are giving unconditional support to the current government. He commented that it is the duty of the government to give unconditional value to the unconditional support of the people.

Referring to the government's steps for reforms before the elections, Tariq Rahman said that the reform program is a necessary initiative and he is also in favor of the reforms. But reform is a continuous and ongoing process. Sometimes time consuming. However, if there is no direct participation of the people in any reform, the reform does not give the desired results.

Why is there doubt about the election?

Zahir Uddin Swapan, a member of BNP Chairperson's Advisory Council, says that the government does not have any roadmap for the election, which has emerged from the different statements of important people related to the government.

He said that Tariq Rahman has highlighted the doubts of the people, as the government has not yet fixed its target and election roadmap. That's why everyone is saying different things. We think this ambiguity of the government is causing public concern.

He said, BNP thinks that a free, fair and impartial election is the desire of the people and the task of the interim government is to carry forward the urgent reforms as well as hand over the ownership of the country to the people through elections.

Abdul Latif Masum, a former professor in the Department of Government and Politics at Jahangirnagar University, says that the government could have avoided the controversy if it had discussed with the parties about reforms and elections and announced a possible deadline.

He said, it seems that the government is giving more importance to reforms than elections. But the reality is that it has to be done keeping the elections in mind. For this it was necessary to inform the nation in advance about the deadline and the specific roadmap for the elections. Not doing that has created some uncertainty.

According to him, there would have been no opportunity for different statements from the government if a deadline had been announced for the election.