There had been much discussion over the past few months about who would become president once the BNP government took power. After secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was declared the party’s presidential candidate on August 13, the party’s secretary general post is also set to fall vacant.
With BNP holding a majority in the National Parliament, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s election as president is nearly certain. This has also triggered widespread discussion over who will become BNP’s next secretary general to fill his vacated post.
Having first served as acting secretary general before being formally elected through a council, this veteran leader held the party’s second-highest post for nearly 16 years.
On the question of who will take over the role in the future, a few names keep recurring within the party and across various media outlets.
However, multiple BNP leaders say the party has not yet given anyone final or acting responsibility for the post.
According to BNP’s constitution, the party’s permanent secretary general is elected through a national council. Until then, a leader may serve temporarily or in an acting capacity as secretary general.
BNP Standing Committee member Selima Rahman said that under the party’s constitution, the current senior joint secretary general, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, would become acting secretary general.
While the party has confirmed Rizvi’s position as acting secretary general in place of Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, no one has yet confirmed whether he will receive the full responsibility.
That’s because, besides Rizvi, two or three other names have also circulated in various discussions among party leaders and activists — though these matters have not yet been discussed by the party’s high command or in a Standing Committee meeting.
BNP sources say someone could be given full responsibility as secretary general at the party’s national council or around that time. Until then, Rizvi may continue serving as acting secretary general.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said: “No formal announcement has come yet. I’m waiting for whatever decision the party makes.”
However, BNP leaders have indicated that while the matter will be discussed within party forums, the decision on who becomes secretary general will primarily rest with party chairman Tareque Rahman.
Some party sources say there is the highest likelihood that the senior joint secretary general will initially serve as acting secretary general. When the party later appoints a full secretary general, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi could remain in the post, or someone else could be given the responsibility instead.
Rizvi said: “Sometimes the full secretary general post has been filled through a council, and sometimes appointments have been made to the post without a council. The chairman holds full authority over this. This authority itself was granted by the council.”
BNP’s politics went through numerous ups and downs from 2009 to 2024. Among politicians active in the field carrying out party responsibilities, the name that came after Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
Given this, many among party workers, supporters, and even senior leaders believe Rizvi’s name is currently the frontrunner for the secretary general post.
However, some Bangladeshi media reports have also floated the names of several other senior figures as possibilities, including Standing Committee member and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed. These reports suggest Salahuddin Ahmed could be moved from his current ministry to the Local Government Ministry instead. Political parties’ secretaries general or general secretaries have historically been given responsibility for this ministry.
Some Bangladeshi media have also floated the names of two joint secretaries general, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie and Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel, as potential secretary general candidates.
However, BNP Standing Committee member Selima Rahman said: “We hear different names at different times. But there’s been no discussion of this within the party. These names that come up, the news reports — the media reports based on what party leaders and activists keep saying.”
She said: “There are many people qualified to become secretary general. The question is — under the rules, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi is expected to take the post for now. He’s coming in according to protocol. If something else happens, that’s a matter for later.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report