The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will not enforce any programmes countering its political rivals, as the party’s top brass have decided to drum up public opinion in favour of the upcoming parliamentary election while also revamping the party with various activities.
With this, the party will start the process of selecting eligible candidates for contesting the elections, slated for February 2026, said party leaders.
The decisions were taken at a Standing Committee meeting of the party on Tuesday night, with BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman virtually in the chair.
Earlier, BNP had planned to launch programmes apparently to counter its political rivals, Jamaat and some other parties who are now demonstrating across the country demanding the implementation of the July Charter and a proportional representation (PR) system.
The Standing Committee meeting shifted the party’s focus from countering rivals on the streets to focusing on the election, which they believe would delay or hinder the crucial election.
With a full-scale campaign starting in October, the party will begin visiting door to door, finalise candidacies in phases, respond to criticisms from rival parties, reassure voters with pledges of reform, and remain alert against conspiracies that may hinder the polls and allow the fascist [Awami League] to exploit the opportunity, meeting sources said.
“If we take to the streets with tougher counter programmes, cracks may develop in the anti-fascist unity. It may be difficult to hold the election on the scheduled time,” a Standing Committee member told TIMES of Bangladesh, wishing not to be named.
Analysing the political climate, the meeting also decided to hold council sessions at district, metropolitan, and upazila levels to revamp organisational activities.
Central leaders will respond to political opponents through those events. However, if they [opponents] try to catch fish in troubled waters, BNP will not remain silent, added the Standing Committee member.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who is now visiting New York as part of the delegation led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, also virtually joined the meeting along with senior leaders Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Mirza Abbas, Nazrul Islam Khan, Salahuddin Ahmed, Selima Rahman, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, and AZM Zahid Hossain.
“People are talking about the February polls at every corner of the country, and the party has been in the field with election preparations,” said Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed.
Asked about the strategy to deal with Jamaat and others agitating on the streets for the July Charter and PR system, he said BNP has chalked out various programmes across the country aimed at the election, through which party leaders will respond to rival parties.
“But the door remains open for dialogue. If that does not work, a counter-response will be given as needed,” he told TIMES of Bangladesh.
Some leaders were critical of the involvement of some leaders and activists in extortions and other offences, which tarnished the image of the party. “Voters may question this,” one of them said, wishing to remain anonymous.
On the election, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said, “Right now, we have only one programme. That is moving towards the upcoming election and revamping organisational activities. Apart from this, we do not have any other programme at the moment,” he added.
When asked whether the BNP has given the green light to candidates for the polls, he said, “The party has not provided any green signal to any candidates in any constituency. Nomination is a process, and it will be finalised in phases.”
