BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan today said that holding elections under the proportional representation (PR) system is "unreasonable" in the present political context of Bangladesh.

"The call for elections through PR is an illogical demand by some political parties and efforts are being made to impose it on the people without their consent," he said. 

The BNP leader made the remarks while briefing reporters after a joint meeting at the party's Nayapaltan central office marking BNP's founding anniversary.

Nazrul questioned the clarity of the proposal, saying, "What is PR? Has anyone explained the method to the people? Have we asked them? Go to Keraniganj or anywhere else-tell people that the system they have known so far will be replaced. They will no longer vote for a candidate of their area but for a party, which will then nominate MPs. There will be no specific representative for them."

He stressed that public opinion must be taken into account before considering such a change.

"Even if all political parties agree on PR, elections cannot be held under this system without amending the constitution. Only an elected parliament can bring such a change," he added.