As expected, Khaleda Zia was yesterday re-elected chairperson, and her elder son Tarique Rahman senior vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as no one else filed nomination for the posts.
Jamiruddin Sircar, standing committee member of BNP, made the announcement
yesterday.
Ahead of BNP’s central council on March 19, yesterday was the last date for withdrawing nomination for the posts of the party’s chairman and senior vice-
chairman.
Khaleda was the two-time prime minister of Bangladesh. Tarique Rahman, who has been staying in London for the past eight years, has been at his post since the last council of BNP nine years ago.
Until recently, only the chairperson’s post was up for voting in the council. BNP amended its charter in a top-level meeting to add Tarique’s post up for voting ahead of this council.
Meanwhile, Obaidul Quader, road transport and bridges minister and close aide of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has dismissed the upcoming sixth national council of the BNP as farce.
“The chairman and vice-chairman of BNP have been elected uncontested. They held the election silently, forbidding others from submitting nomination papers for the two posts. We have intelligence report in this regard,” Quader said.
The road transport and bridges minister was addressing an extended meeting of the Awami League Dhaka city unit as part of its preparations to hold a public rally in Suhrawardy Udyan marking the historic date of March 7, 1971 - the day of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s seminal speech at the Racecourse Ground in Ramna, that laid the groundwork for independence.
“Awami League would never hold such a council. In AL, anyone can contest the president and general secretary…and the election takes place openly. There is no scope to bring changes in our central committee without council session,” said the ruling party leader.
He said the central committee of BNP can change anytime. Anyone can be included or emerge as leader anytime, on the chairperson’s whim.