BNM’s Rajshahi leaders are from Awami League, Jatiya Party

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNM), which receives the election commission’s nod for registration, has an office and a committee in Rajshahi. Members of the party's district committee are from the ruling Awami League and the opposition in parliament Jatiya Party.

However, no information was found about the office of the Bangladesh Supreme Party (BSP), another party that also got the EC’s nod for registration, in Rajshahi. Nobody could say anything about them either.

The BNM’s Rajshahi office is in the city’s Shiroil area and the party has a 31-member committee. Certain Shariful Islam, who is a principal at a school and college, is the member secretary of the committee. He was involved in the politics of Awami League before. Shariful Islam claimed they have office and committee in all upazilas of Rajshahi district.

Speaking about the fact that most of the BNM's Rajshahi unit committee members are from Awami League, Shariful Islam said they joined the new party as they were deprived in Awami League. However, a leader of this new party said on condition of anonymity that they have launched this party for the benefit of Awami League.

It has been learned that the upazila offices of BNM’s Bagmara and Charghat units are located near the offices of Awami League. The Tanore office is mainly a coffee shop. The BNM opened its office here renting a portion of the shop for the last two months.

All 25 members of the party’s Tanore upazila unit committee including its president and general secretary were leaders at various level of Awami League.

The upazila committee president Mominul Islam admitted all the members of their committee were involved in politics of Awami League.

On the other hand, leaders who came from Jatiya Party formed the committee of BNM’s Charghat upazila. Imran Ali and Saiful Islam Raihan are president and secretary general and BNM’s Charghat unit committee. Imran Ali contested the last national election as a candidate of Jatiya Party while Saiful Islam Raihan is the general secretary of Jatiya Party’s Charghat unit general secretary. Ramzan Ali, who is Jatiya Party’s Charghat unit president, is an advisor of the BNM committee.

The Bagmara upazila office has been opened near the office of Awami League’s Taherpur municipality unit. Locals said previously leaders of Juba Leagues sat at the small room near the Awami League office. The banner of BNM has been hung there.

Abdur Rahman, who was involved in the politics of Awami League, is the convener of BNM’s Bagmara upazila unit. He said most of the members of this committee has come from Awami League.

However, no one could say anything on any office or committee of the Bangladesh Supreme Party (BSP) in the district or in any of its upazila.

Asked, the former general secretary of Awami League’s Rajshahi district unit, Asaduzzaman, said he saw BNM’s signboard in several upazilas, but not of the BSP.