The Islami Oikya Jote in talks with the government Tuesday demanded elections in October as hajj and Eid-ul Azha would fall in December, reports agency.

"We have asked the government to hold elections in October, instead of December because of religious sentiments," party chairman Fazlul Haque Amini told reporters in a post-dialogue briefing.

Amini said the party leaders demanded national polls ahead of the local government elections.

Clearing the party's stand on the disputed National Women Development Policy, the IOJ leader said "anti-Islamic" elements should be eliminated from the policy.

Commerce adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman said the government was serious about the election roadmap.

More than 7.62 crore people or 95 percent of eligible citizens have been voters until June 7.

Zillur said the government was working to build people's confidence in the administration in a way so that they "can have faith in us".

Asked if the so-called move to send two former prime ministers abroad was part of the minus-2 formula, the commerce adviser said: "That interpretation is solely yours."

On whether the dialogue would be a failure if the two major political parties boycotted it, the adviser said: "We are proceeding with patience. The two major parties also want to go forward on the basis of consensus."

The IOJ placed a 21-point charter of demands at the dialogue.

The demands include banning foreign NGOs from election monitoring, cancelling the registration of the NGOs involved in "anti-religious" work and curbing the rising prices of essentials.

Chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed led the government side during the dialogue while law adviser AF Hassan Ariff, communications adviser Ghulam Quader and foreign affairs adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury were also present.

The government dialogue began on May 22 with the Workers Party of Bangladesh.

The IOJ was the 10th party to hold dialogue with the government.

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