3 independent MPs join Awami League...............

Three independent MPs have joined Awami League, the parliament secretariat said Sunday, pushing the party's seats reserved for women in the parliament to 36.

Manin opposition BNP will get five and AL ally Jatiya Party will have four such seats.

Kabirul Islam of Narail-1, Khandaker Abdul Baten of Tangail-6 and Muhammed Imajuddin Pramanik of Naogaon-4 were AL dissidents.

The ruling party now boasts 232 seats in the parliament. The party had won 236 consituencies in the last year's general elections but party president Sheikh Hasina vacated Bagerhat-1 and Rangpur-6 and Zillur Rahman Kishoreganj-6 constituency for presidency.

With the three joining the party, Fazlul Azim remains the lone independent MP as four independent candidates had won the national ballot.

All the three Awami League dissident candidates had taken oath spoting "Mujib Coat", considered as a symbol loyalty to the AL.

According to the Election Commission, one more seat will add to the AL's 35 seats among the reserved 45 women seats.

Proportionately, the AL-led alliance will get 36 women reserved seats against its 238 seats (AL-230+JSD-3+Workers' Party-2+independent-3 ), the senior assistant secretary at the EC Secretariat, Farhad Ahammad Khan said.

The Jatiya Party will get four seats against its 27 seats and BNP-led four party alliance will get five seats against its 31 seats in the parliament, Khan said.

Jamaat-e-Islami and Liberal Democratic Party will not get any reserved seat.

Khan said the three new AL MPs informed the EC on Feb. 2 about their joining the AL.

Meanwhile, election commissioner Muhammad Sohul Hossain Sunday morning said the EC will announce Monday the schedule for the election to reserved seats.