THE Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s prolonged failure to hold regular councils has created a democratic deficit within the organisation, frustrating grass-roots activists and concentrating decision-making power in the hands of a small leadership circle. The party’s national council was last held in March 2016 despite provisions that require a council every three years. Several affiliated bodies have gone even longer without renewing their leadership through councils or elections. The Jatiyatabadi Mahila Dal has continued under the same leadership since 2016 while the Muktijoddha Dal has not held a council since 2013 and the Sramik Dal since 2014. These organisations have, thus, been running for years beyond the party’s constitutional mandates while others continue under partial or ad hoc arrangements. The BNP leadership’s claim that the authoritarian Awami League regime severely restricted political activities and prevented opposition parties from organising conferences and councils is true but untenable in the post-2024 uprising period. Even after more than two years and a half since the political transition, the party has, according to its activists, made little substantive effort to convene its overdue organisational councils.

In the changed political circumstances, the persistent delay in holding councils has understandably deepened disappointment among party people, particularly as many senior leaders of affiliated organisations are now members of the parliament and are engaged in parliamentary and ministerial responsibilities, which have reduced their attention to organisational affairs. Many activists say that holding fresh councils has become necessary to restore organisational discipline and reconnect the leadership with the grass roots. The BNP’s recent efforts to reconstitute the committee of the Juba Dal and reorganise some affiliated bodies are welcome but insufficient. The concerns are not unfounded given the significant number of clashes over intra-party leadership that have been recently reported. In February, Transparency International Bangladesh reported that 91.7 per cent of incidents of political violence after the fall of the Awami League regime were linked to the BNP. Regular councils and the reconstitution of committees are considered crucial for cultivating new leadership whereas prolonged reliance on expired committees weakens organisational accountability, centralises decision-making and fuels resentment in the grass roots, as has been the case with the BNP. A democratic organisation, therefore, requires mechanisms through which activists can periodically evaluate leaders, contest positions and influence policy direction.

Political parties are among the most important institutions in any democracy and the BNP as the ruling party has greater responsibility in facilitating a shift in the mainstream political culture. The BNP, therefore, needs to move beyond promises and set a timetable for holding its national council and those of its affiliated organisations. A party that seeks to strengthen democratic governance at the national level must demonstrate a commitment to democracy within its own ranks.