Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is set to convene an expanded meeting after a hiatus of seven years, marking a significant moment in the party’s political trajectory.
The last such gathering took place on 4 February 2018 at the Le Méridien Hotel in Dhaka.
This year, the event will be held at the LD Hall premises of the National Parliament complex.
The meeting will provide a platform for grassroots leaders to voice their perspectives, which will be heard by the party’s acting chairman, who is also expected to deliver new directives.
To facilitate the event, a 27-member implementation committee, led by Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, has been working alongside six sub-committees.
The gathering will witness the participation of members from the party’s National Standing Committee, the Chairperson’s Advisory Council, the Central Executive Committee, and leaders from metropolitan, district, thana, upazila, and municipal units.
Approximately 4,000 party activists and officials are expected to attend.
With the next general election on the horizon, BNP leaders regard this meeting as a timely and crucial assembly.
According to party insiders, four key issues will dominate discussions: The political landscape following the events of 5 August, the forthcoming 13th parliamentary elections, maintaining internal party discipline, and strengthening alliances with partner organisations.
BNP sources indicate that the extended meeting will serve as the launchpad for the party’s electoral campaign. A clear directive will be issued to commence election-focused activities at all levels immediately after Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr.
The BNP leadership is keen on prioritising the national elections over local polls, and this stance will be explicitly communicated.
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, in his address to the nation on 16 December, outlined a tentative electoral timeline.
He stated that if minimal reforms were pursued, elections could be held by December 2025, while a more comprehensive reform process would push the polls to mid-2026.
BNP, however, is preparing for a December election and shaping its strategy accordingly.
Party leaders maintain that they are aligning their electoral and reform agenda with the interim government’s framework.
Their immediate priority is to ensure swift implementation of critical reforms, thereby facilitating a free and fair election by the end of the year.
They believe that once a newly elected government assumes office, further structural reforms, in keeping with the spirit of the July mass uprising, can be undertaken.
Speaking on the agenda of the meeting, BNP Media Cell Convenor Moudud Alamgir Pavel stated that directives from the party’s highest echelons would be conveyed to grassroots leaders.
The party aims to scrutinise both domestic and international political manoeuvres and formulate a comprehensive action plan in response.
Echoing a similar sentiment, BNP’s Publicity Secretary and Media Cell member Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie emphasised the focus on organisational efficiency.
He reiterated that the party is rallying around the slogan: "Unyielding unity can thwart all conspiracies."
