Bagura is often dubbed as the stronghold of BNP as the party’s founder Ziaur Rahman hailed from the northern district. Prior to her imprisonment for graft, BNP chief Khaleda Zia had contested the elections from Bagura-6 constituency. However, Bagura seems to be slipping out of BNP’s control with the rift in the district and upazila units and the complete void of leadership in the committees.
The party has been plagued with the district’s unit committee being dissolved, the sadar upazila unit chief being banished, general secretary being murdered and the banishment of 30 leaders for taking part in the upazila council polls against the party decision amongst many other things.
The activists and leaders are slowly losing spirit as BNP has no strong leadership at the moment and they are of the view that if the party backs out of the Jun 24 by-election to Bagura-6, it will no longer remain BNP’s stronghold.
In order to resolve the issues and reform the almost inactive committees, the local leaders have called for the intervention from the party’s central leadership.
BNP’s Bagura unit committee had long expired since being formed in 2012. There have been much disagreements about its leadership which has led to the formation of two opposing groups.
One group is in favour of former chief of BNP’s Bagura unit Saiful Islam and another is former lawmaker and chairperson’s advisor Helaluzzaman Talukder Lalu.
The two groups each announced their own committees and claim to have acting chief Tarique Rahman’s mandate.
Meanwhile, the party’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi halted the executive posts of two leaders who are part of the pro-Saiful Committee.
Saiful’s supporters in protest locked down the BNP district office which led to the two leaders being stripped of the party’s primary membership and Saiful being show-caused.
Following the chaos, Rizvi declared on May 4 the dissolving of the district committee.
Meanwhile, the chain of command in the upazila committees has completely broken down with the membership of 30 leaders being scrapped.
The by-election to Bagura-6 was announced after BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir refused to take oath.
Local leaders fear that if the party does not float candidates there BNP will lose that constituency forever.
However, former district unit general secretary Joynul Abedin Chan said that the activists and leaders have taken it upon themselves to keep the party active.
BNP’s central unit Organising Secretary Ruhul Kuddus Talukder Dulu said that district unit’s committee would be announced before the Eid.
“We do not accept the Dec 30 polls result,” he said and added that no decision regarding the by-polls has been taken.