After the formation of the cabinet and the appointment of the chief whip and whips, many MPs from the ruling party have begun lobbying for chair posts of parliamentary standing committees related to ministries.
Several BNP sources said lawmakers have started approaching leaders close to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman seeking support for the positions.
Usually, all MPs become members of one or another ministry-related standing committee.
Sources in the BNP high command said former ministers and state ministers who did not secure positions in the new cabinet may receive priority for committee chair posts this time.
Officially, chairpersons of ministry-related parliamentary standing committees do not enjoy any separate special status. However, the committees oversee the activities of the respective ministries.
Although they cannot issue directives to ministries, the committees can provide recommendations and raise irregularities in parliament.
Ministry officials can also be summoned to attend committee meetings. As a result, chairpersons often gain opportunities to exert influence in ministries.
According to the Rules of Procedure of parliament, the Speaker appoints chairpersons and members of standing committees on the proposal of the Leader of the House.
Each committee consists of nine members.
Under existing provisions, a minister or state minister of a ministry cannot be appointed chairperson of the committee related to that ministry. Ministers and state ministers instead serve as members of the committees.
No specific qualifications are required to become chairperson or member of a ministry-related standing committee.
However, an MP with business or personal interests linked to a particular ministry cannot be appointed to the committee related to that ministry.
The Rules of Procedure also do not specify any fixed timeframe for forming ministry-related standing committees.
As a result, the Leader of the House can form the committees in any parliamentary session and may also reconstitute them after formation.
Senior MPs and officials from several ministries, speaking on condition of anonymity, said many lawmakers prefer committees linked to ministries that handle large development programmes.
Ministries implementing numerous field-level projects tend to attract greater interest.
In such cases, the committee chair may influence the adoption and implementation of ministry projects in his or her constituency.
However, competition is usually lower for chair posts in ministries where influential party leaders serve as ministers or state ministers.
According to parliamentary rules, the chief whip of the ruling party sends the names of committee chairpersons and members to the Speaker following instructions from the Leader of the House.
Newly appointed Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni told TIMES of Bangladesh that discussions had been held with Leader of the House Prime Minister Tarique Rahman regarding the formation of the ministry-related standing committees.
However, he said the prime minister has not yet given any directive on the matter.
He added that the committees would be formed gradually after the first session of parliament.
There are very few precedents of MPs from opposition parties being appointed chairpersons of standing committees.
During the Awami League government, MPs from other parties were appointed chairpersons of two committees.
