The BNP has announced plans to enforce a 48-hour nationwide hartal surrounding the Jan 7 election as part of its vote boycott campaign.

The shutdown will be in effect from 6 am on Saturday to 6 am on Monday, the party's Senior Joint General Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced at a virtual briefing on Thursday.

The BNP and like-minded parties will enforce the hartal in protest against the "one-sided election" under a 'non-cooperation movement' to press for the Awami League government's removal, he said.

The hartal comes after the party's eight-day mass contact and leaflet distribution campaign to garner support for a boycott of the election.