BNP to focus on election oriented activities

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is putting its full attention on the national elections at this moment. The party will host its extended committee meeting Thursday, which will effectively mark the beginning of its election-centric activities.

According to responsible sources, the BNP is not placing much emphasis on the recent calls from various quarters to hold local government elections before the parliamentary elections.

Instead, the party has made a policy decision to prioritise the national elections while formulating its upcoming organisational programmes.

These election-centric activities and initiatives will commence immediately after the month of Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr.

The BNP’s extended committee meeting will take place at the LD Hall premises of parliament building.

Members of the party’s standing committee, the chairperson’s advisory council, the central executive committee and the presidents, general secretaries and member secretaries of all metropolitan, district, upazila and municipal committees will attend the meeting.

Apart from them, those who received final nominations from the party in the 11th parliamentary election in 2018, as well as those who received preliminary nomination letters, are also expected to be present at the meeting.

BNP standing committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud considers this meeting to be “highly timely” in view of the upcoming elections.

A source from the BNP’s central office has stated that around 3,500 leaders from different levels across the country have been invited to the extended meeting.

BNP chairperson’s advisory council member Zahir Uddin Swapan described this meeting as a “starting point”.

Speaking to Prothom Alo about this, he said, “On one hand, the spirit of the July mass uprising and on the other, the 31-point proposal for restructuring the state - both aspects will be consolidated to deliver a message from this extended meeting.”

“You could say that BNP’s journey towards the national elections will commence from this meeting,” he added.

BNP’s last extended meeting took place on 4 February 2018 at the Le Meridien Hotel in Dhaka. The meeting was presided over by the party chairperson Khaleda Zia just four days before she was imprisoned on 8 February in the Zia orphanage trust graf case.

Now after seven years, amidst widespread political discussions regarding the date of the 13th parliamentary elections, the BNP is set to hold this extended meeting.

The event is being overseen by the party’s senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. Speaking to Prothom Alo, he stated that the meeting would provide an insight into grassroots leaders’ perspectives on the country’s current situation and the elections. “Based on these insights, organisational and political directives will be given to the grassroots level.”

Interim Government’s Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in his address to the nation on 16 December 2024, suggested a possible timeline for the national elections.

He stated that if minor reforms were to be made, the elections could be held in December 2025, whereas with more extensive reforms, the elections could take place by mid-2026.

The BNP has begun its preparations for the parliamentary elections, assuming that the voting will be held in December.

BNP leaders state that they have already clarified two key aspects regarding reforms and elections to the nation.

The first is outlining the necessary urgent reforms and cooperating with the government to expedite the electoral process for ensuring a free and fair election. The second is that once an elected government is in place, it will complete the remaining reforms in line with the spirit of the July mass uprising.

With this policy stance, the BNP is advancing its electoral strategy.

BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury told Prothom Alo, “Our leaders and activists are now focused on the elections and so are the people. The public is eagerly awaiting the elections.”

BNP has been demanding early elections by carrying out some fundamental reforms related to elections from the very beginning since the fall of the Awami League government. Apart from BNP, the Left Democratic Alliance, the 12-party alliance and the like-minded nationalist alliance have also demanded that the national elections be held within this year.

However, parties such as Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolon Bangladesh insist that essential reforms must precede the parliamentary elections. They have also expressed support for conducting local government elections first.

On the other hand, BNP and its allies in the simultaneous anti-autocracy movement prioritise holding the national elections first.

Meanwhile, the Anti-discrimination Student Movement and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, which were at the forefront of the mass uprising, favour organising local government elections first. They have reiterated their stance on multiple occasions, advocating for necessary reforms before the elections take place.

As a result, there has been open disagreement among political parties regarding whether local government or parliamentary elections should be held first, the extent of reforms before the elections and the reforms an elected government should implement.

Last Saturday, during a rally in Chandpur, Jamaat-e-Islami’s ameer Shafiqur Rahman stated that local government elections must be held to alleviate public suffering.

He argued that such elections would help address people’s immediate hardships, followed by the national elections. However, he also emphasised that the public demands certain fundamental reforms before the national elections take place.

The BNP, however, has outright rejected the idea of holding local elections before the national elections. The party believes that conducting local government elections beforehand could create a nationwide atmosphere of conflict and views such a move as a conspiracy. Some BNP policymakers have declared that any attempt to hold local elections before the national polls will be resisted.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury stated, “The interim government has no scope to conduct any election other than the national election. A handful of people deciding something on their own are not how things work.”

“The primary responsibility of this government is to implement necessary reforms and facilitate elections, handing over power to an elected government. If any other elections are to be held, they must first secure a public mandate,” he insisted.

According to BNP sources, if the government or any other party attempts to manipulate the election timeline, the BNP will intensify its street movements. Additionally, the party will not accept any attempts to delay the election under pretext of reforms.

Speaking on the matter, BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury told Prothom Alo, “No reforms will take place without a public mandate. There is no alternative to this. Only those reforms on which consensus is reached will be implemented. As for the rest, all parties, including the BNP, will seek a mandate from the people in the elections.”

He further stated, “We have already proposed 31 points. Any party advocating for specific reforms must present those to the people. If the people approve, they will be implemented. A public mandate is essential. No reform can be executed without it.”

* The report, originally published in the print and online editions of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten in English by Nuzhat Tabassum