Alongside running the government, the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has launched a fresh initiative to accelerate its organizational activities. The party is focusing on restructuring its organization from the grassroots to the central level, updating expired committees and maintaining internal unity ahead of the upcoming local government elections.

According to party sources, expired committees at the district, metropolitan, upazila, thana, union and ward levels will be reorganized in phases over the next few months. Changes are also being made to the organizational structures of the party’s affiliated and associate bodies. Preparations for holding the national council are expected to move forward after the restructuring process.

At present, 72 of the BNP’s 82 organizational district and metropolitan committees have reportedly completed their terms. Despite the demands of running the state, the party is therefore placing emphasis on reorganizing its leadership from the central level to the grassroots to keep the organization active and effective.

BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said that organizing the party is important for a political party, just as running the government effectively is. Alongside giving priority to fulfilling the expectations of people who have faced deprivation for a long time, efforts are also underway to make the party’s organizational structure more consolidated.

He said BNP supporters at the grassroots are united over the party’s politics, although there may be differences over local leadership. The national council will be organized after the restructuring of committees is completed and the delegate list is finalized.

Focus on Grassroots Ahead of Local Elections

The BNP is viewing the upcoming local government elections as an important opportunity to assess its organizational strength. State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shah-e-Alam recently said the decision had been taken to field BNP-backed candidates locally in the local government elections.

According to party sources, the BNP is placing particular emphasis on preventing internal divisions caused by multiple candidates. Popularity, organizational involvement and public acceptance at the local level are being considered in the selection of candidates.

The central leadership is also issuing instructions to maintain organizational unity behind party-supported candidates in local elections, particularly Union Parishad polls. At the same time, efforts are underway to resolve internal disputes and reactivate grassroots leadership.

Leadership Reshuffle at the Central Level

As part of the party’s reorganization, changes have also been made to its central leadership. On August 15, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, Aman Ullah Aman, Farhad Halim Donar and Md. Ismail Jabiullah were included in the BNP’s National Standing Committee. According to a party statement, their inclusion was aimed at strengthening organizational dynamism.

Several positions in the 19-member Standing Committee had fallen vacant due to deaths, resignations and other reasons, prompting the party to gradually bring in new members. Following the central-level reshuffle, changes are expected to be made gradually in the leadership of district, metropolitan, upazila and thana units, according to party sources.

Discussions are also underway to fill vacant positions through promotions, redistribute responsibilities and bring new leaders to the forefront where necessary. Applications from leaders who have remained outside organizational activities for a long time or were expelled from the party are also reportedly being reviewed.

New Leadership at the Grassroots

The BNP is also considering bringing younger and new leaders to the forefront as part of its reorganization. There are discussions about establishing new leadership at the district, metropolitan and upazila levels to maintain a degree of separation between the party’s organizational structure and the government’s administrative structure.

According to party sources, a significant portion of the field-level leadership is currently engaged in various government responsibilities. As a result, developing alternative leadership at the grassroots has become necessary to keep organizational activities active. Young, capable and organizationally active leaders are being considered in this process.

The roles played by party leaders and activists in past political movements, along with organizational ability and local acceptance, are also being considered as factors in selecting leadership.

Preparations for National Council

The BNP last held its national council on March 19, 2016. No new national council has been held since then. This time, the party plans to move toward the national council after reorganizing committees at various levels, preparing the delegate list and filling vacant positions in the central leadership.

The party is also reviewing its organizational situation through a series of meetings with grassroots leaders. Meetings of the National Standing Committee are also being held under the chairmanship of BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, including a meeting held on September 12.

According to party leaders, efforts are now focused on strengthening the organizational structure with both the local government elections and the national council in mind. The BNP plans to activate the grassroots by reorganizing committees from the district level down to the ward level before moving toward the national council.