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The United Kingdom chapter of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has formed a partial convening committee, effectively dissolving the long-expired preceding body. This significant organisational change sees Abul Kalam Azad, the immediate past committee's Senior Vice President and a leader from Sylhet's Biswanath Upazila, appointed as the Convenor. Khosruzzaman Khosru, the immediate past committee's Joint General Secretary hailing from Balaganj Upazila, takes on the role of Member Secretary. Notably, both key appointees represent the same parliamentary constituency in Sylhet.
The formation of the new committee follows a period of ambiguity regarding the UK BNP's leadership. The chapter’s immediate past President, M. A. Malek, and immediate past General Secretary, Kaysar M. Ahmed, had both been busy campaigning in Bangladesh, having received nominations from the party with aspirations of becoming Members of Parliament. Despite their prolonged absence from the UK, it is understood that neither leader had officially delegated any acting responsibilities to others to oversee the chapter’s affairs.
A dramatic turn of events unfolded with news that the party's Acting Chairman, Tarique Rahman, had agreed to attend the UK BNP's Victory Day meeting in London on December 16. Upon receiving this information, M. A. Malek and Kaysar M. Ahmed swiftly arrived in London on Sunday afternoon, apparently intending to chair and manage the event.The immediate past President and General Secretary were eager to accompany Tarique Rahman on his trip back home.
However, the announcement of the new partial convening committee was made later that very night, effectively sidelining the former leaders.
Sources indicate that the UK BNP had been operating with the same committee for the past seven years. The chapter's last council was held in 2018. Although the committee was meant to have a two-year term, its mandate officially expired in 2020, leading to a protracted period of inaction and the subsequent need for this organisational restructure.
