The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Tuesday night expelled its 29 leaders and members in Gazipur for life for their participation in the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) polls defying the party decision.
According to sources, the BNP is going to take punitive measures against many others for the same reason as over 100 other leaders are also taking part in the elections to four other city corporations of Barishal, Khulna, Rajshahi and Sylhet.
In this circumstance, it seems that the BNP is now in a shambles due to the absence of a chain of command among the leaders of the party.
The high command of the party, including its central leaders, has no more control over the leaders and activists in the district and other grass root levels.
Despite the prohibition from the central BNP, hundreds of its leaders are taking part in the upcoming polls to five city corporations.
In Gazipur, a total of 29 leaders and members of the BNP were expelled Tuesday night for taking part in the GCC polls as councilor candidates.
Individual expulsion letters signed by Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, the senior joint secretary general of BNP, were sent on May 16 to them highlighting the causes behind the decision.
"You are participating as councillor candidates in the upcoming GCC elections, slated for 25 May 2023. Despite receiving a show cause notice on 11 May 2023, regarding your decision to contest against the party's directive, you failed to respond within the specified timeframe. This blatant disregard towards the party's decision constitutes serious misconduct," the letters stated.
The expelled members were accused of betraying the hopes and aspirations of democratic-minded citizens, displaying contempt and arrogance by refusing to withdraw their candidatures.
As a result, they will lose all positions and primary memberships in the party, effective immediately, with history remembering them as dishonest and traitorous individuals, akin to Mir Zafar.
According to sources, defying the high command’s decision, several hundred local leaders of BNP are taking part in the upcoming elections to all the five city corporations.
The BNP’s central leaders continuously have been issuing warnings to them saying that punitive action would be taken against those who will take part in any election defying party decision.
But, no efforts of the central leaders of the BNP are being able to stop them from their participation in the elections.
Even exiled in London, BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman also failed to control his party leaders and activists.
Rather, the local BNP leaders are carrying out election campaigning with banners, posters and festoons also. They are found to be active in social media too.
The elections to five city corporations--Gazipur City Corporation (GCC), Barishal City Corporation (BCC), Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC), Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) and Khulna City Corporation (KCC)—are being held in three phases.
Elections to GCC are scheduled to be held on May 25, KCC and BCC on June 12, while RCC and SCC on 21 June.
According to the schedule, the last date for submission of nomination papers for the GCC polls was April 27 and May 8 was the last date for withdrawal of the candidature.
Besides, the last date for submission of nomination papers in KCC and BCC elections was on Tuesday (May 16) and May 25 is the last date for withdrawal of candidature.
The last date for the submission of nomination papers for RCC and SCC is on May 23 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is on June 1.
According to sources, many of the BNP leaders already have submitted their nomination papers to contest the GCC, BCC and KCC while others are taking preparations for the polls in RCC and SCC polls.
Those BNP leaders are taking part for both the mayor and councilor posts in all the five city corporations.
They, however, are taking part in the elections as the independent candidates as the BNP officially has taken its stance against the participation in any polls under the Awami League government.
According to sources, leaders from the BNP and its different associate bodies in metropolitan, thana and ward levels are being candidates in the city polls as the independent candidates.
Sources said, apart from at least 30 leaders of BNP in Gazipur, around 35 leaders are taking part in the BCC polls, 50 in RCC, over 60 in SCC and at least 20 are in KCC.
According to sources, alongside Awami League and BNP, leaders from Jatiya Party, Jamaat-e-Islam, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Ganotantri Party and some other parties are also taking part in the city polls.
