BNP, one of the main opposition parties of the country, has expelled the two hundred district and upazila level leaders who participated in the current upazila elections of Bangladesh by defying the party decision. Most of these leaders are known as good organizers or popular inside and outside the party at the local level.
Many of these leaders who were expelled or exempted from the party held important positions in the district, upazila or municipal branches of the party. Many were elected as Upazila Chairman or Municipal Mayor earlier.
The party had already been warning its leaders and activists not to participate in any kind of election process under the current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. But this time, after the announcement of the upazila election schedule, many leaders of the party in different parts of the country are participating in the election in violation of the party decision.
In the meantime, the question has arisen whether the BNP, which has been out of power for fifteen years and is visibly upset, has suffered organizational losses due to the expulsion of leaders who are popular or known as good organizers at the field level.
Or is this the party’s strategy that BNP leaders should be active in grassroots politics by participating in the elections after being exempted from the party or being expelled – there is also a discussion in the political arena.
The party’s national standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and senior joint general secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi say those who disobey the party’s decision are unethical. That is why they are being expelled and they feel that there will be no harm to BNP in their departure.
A political analyst says, it is only natural that the party will be weaker if the leaders who have so many organizers or people involvement are thrown out. However, according to him, in the two main parties of this country, there are not few examples of people who were expelled from the party before the election, but later returned to the party.
The two leaders who were expelled for participating in the elections said that they have accepted the party’s decision, but they will remain steadfast in the party’s ideals. They both requested anonymity.
Incidentally, upazila parishad elections are being held in four phases in Bangladesh. Among them, the first phase of voting was held on May 8th and the second phase of voting is going to be held on Tuesday, May 21st.
How many leaders were expelled?
Officials of the BNP office department said that so far at least 209 people have been dismissed or expelled from the party on the charge of violating organizational discipline by participating in the elections.
Among them, the party expelled 79 field level leaders, many of whom were candidates for the post of chairman and vice chairman, before the first round of polling for disobeying the party’s decision not to participate in the election.
Similarly, the party’s central leadership expelled 61 more leaders before the second phase of elections to be held on May 21 and 51 leaders who participated in the third phase of 112 upazila polls to be held on May 39.
Apart from this, as many as ten other leaders have been expelled from the party for participating in the elections, according to the party’s office department.
54 upazilas are scheduled to vote in the last phase on June 5. BNP leaders who participate in these upazilas will be expelled from the party, the party leaders said.
Will the party be weaker?
BNP has been out of power since 2007 after being in power for three terms. The party boycotted the parliamentary elections of 2014 and 2024.
The leaders of the party have always been claiming that since the Awami League came to power in 2009, there have been about one and a half lakh cases in the name of the party’s leaders and workers across the country.
They also claim that more than fifty lakh leaders and workers of BNP and its affiliated organizations have been accused in these cases. Among them, the party also claimed that about twenty one thousand leaders and workers are in prison.
However, it was not possible for the BBC to verify the number of cases against activists and those in prison separately.
However, in response to the question whether the party may become weaker if the leaders who are active and involved in the field are thrown out of the party in the context of the upazila elections, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, a member of the party’s standing committee, said that there is always a risk in politics.
“But these are unscrupulous people. If such people are reduced, the party does not care. Common people have confidence in BNP and Trinamool workers have not deviated from ideals. So there is no danger of the party being weakened or further damaged,” he told BBC Bangla.
According to him those who disobeyed the party’s decision and participated in the election have already separated from the party and workers. “They should be blamed for this, not the party,” he said.
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, senior joint secretary general of BNP, says that there are many qualified organizers and popular leaders in every position at the field level of their party, especially in the district upazila. For that reason, he thinks that the departure of those who have violated the party decision will not cause any harm to the party.
“The main aim of our party is to bring down the government and get people’s right to vote and for that we need a leader who is a sacrificer. If someone leaves, he will be lost, it will not affect BNP. Rather, discipline and ideals are essential for the progress of the party. The party does not need those who have lost their ideals and betrayed them. So there is no harm to BNP here,” he told BBC Bangla.
However, there are differences of opinion within the party. A leader, who did not want to be named, said that this election has nothing to do with coming to power, but after many days, the popular leaders and workers at the local level of the party had an opportunity to return to their respective areas ahead of this election.
Zobaida Nasreen, a political analyst and Dhaka University teacher, says that many BNP leaders have won the elections during the Awami League period, including the city corporation elections. Even at the upazila level, many people who are influential in the party at the local level are participating in the elections.
“I think this decision of expulsion is not appropriate for BNP. This will increase frustration and conflict among their workers at the field level. But if it is BNP’s strategy that the popular leaders at the field level retain their positions from outside the party, then it is a different matter,” he told BBC Bangla.
He said, there are many examples in the two main political parties who were expelled for participating in the elections, but later the party brought them back.
Incidentally, many of the ousted leaders have said in the media that they will remain with the BNP regardless of the outcome of the elections. That is, later they can apply to return to the team. Then there may be an opportunity to take them back to the team.
Because of that, many are considering the expulsion of the candidate leaders from the party as a strategy of BNP. However, BNP leaders rejected such statements.