Awami League President Sheikh Hasina has chosen only her party colleagues in the new cabinet breaking the tradition of forming government with likeminded political parties.

Following a landslide victory in the national elections held last Sunday, the AL is going to form the government for the third consecutive terms with Sheikh Hasina assuming the office for the fourth term, a record touched by none in the country’s history.

In her new cabinet, Hasina has not picked any lawmakers from her alliance partners.

The Awami League formed the government for the first time under Hasina's leadership in 1996. In that cabinet, Jatiya Party leader Anwar Hossain Manju and JSD leader ASM Abdur Rob were made ministers.

In 2008, when the AL secured absolute majority, the Jatiya Party leaders including GM Quader were given place in the cabinet in addition with Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal General Secretary Dilip Barua.

In the end of the ninth parliament, JSD Chief Hasanul Haq Inu was also included in the cabinet.

In 2014, Sheikh Hasina formed the government for the second consecutive term and she made Workers' Party President Rashed Khan Menon minister along with Inu. Apart from this, 14-party grand alliance partner Jatiya Party leaders were also made ministers and state ministers in the 10th parliament.

However, this is for the first time ever when Sheikh Hasina is going to form the government with her party colleagues only.

Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam announced the names of the lawmakers to be inducted in the new cabinet. The new cabinet will be comprised of 24 ministers, 19 state ministers and 3 deputy ministers.

There have been changes in 18 ministries out of 25. Three ministers of the immediate past cabinet including Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, Social Welfare Minister Rashed Khan Menon and Water Resources Minister Anwar Hossain Manju were dropped.

As HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party lawmakers will play the role of opposition in the parliament, they will also not be in the cabinet.

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina-led new cabinet will be formed tomorrow excluding some heavyweight ministers of the immediate past cabinet.

Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam today announced the names of the new cabinet members including 24 ministers, 19 state ministers and three deputy ministers.

A total of 31 new faces were included in the cabinet while 25 ministers, nine state and two deputy ministers of the immediate past cabinet were excluded.

Some new faces have been given priority in the new cabinet to give them space bringing dynamism in the state function, an Awami League leader wishing anonymity told The Daily Star.

The Awami League bigwigs are among Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, LGRD Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Expatriate Welfare Minister Nurul Islam, Social Welfare Minister Rashed Khan Menon and Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain were dropped from the new cabinet.

Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam died on January 3. Finance Minister AMA Muhith, prior to the 11th parliamentary election, told that he would take retirement and thus he did not participate in the December 30 national election.

Among the Awami League-led 14-party grand alliance, Workers Party of Bangladesh President also former Social Welfare Minister Rashed Khan Menon and Jatiya Samastantrik Dal (JSD) President also former Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu were dropped from the new cabinet.

Former Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Relief and Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali, Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, Food Minister Qamqul Islam were also kept aside from the new cabinet.

Of them, Maya was not given nomination to contest the just ended national election.

Among the state ministers, former State Minister for Textiles and Jute Mirza Azam, Jatiya Party Presidium Member and also State Minister for Labour Mujibul Haque Chunnu, State Minister for Information Tarana Halim and State Minister for Local Government Mushiur Rahman Ranga were also dropped form the new cabinet.

There is no Jatiya Party lawmaker in the new cabinet as the party has recently announced that it would act as a real and effective opposition party in the 11th parliament.

There were three state ministers in the immediate past cabinet.

Awami League secured 257 seats, its alliance partners Jatiya Party got 22, Workers Party of Bangladesh 3, Bikalpadhara Bangladesh 2 Tarikat Federation 1, JSD 2 and Jatiya Party (Manju) secured 1 seat in the December 30 national election. 

However, Awami League did not pick any lawmaker from its alliance partners in the new cabinet.

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad is recovering quickly and his health is being considered much better today, the party’s acting Chairman GM Quader said quoting his physicians.

A few tests have been run on HM Ershad and his treatment is going accordingly, GM Quader said expressing his satisfaction over Ershad’s treatment at Combined Military Hospital (CMH).

The JP chairman was admitted to the CMH on June 27 with old age complications.

Since formation of the current parliament following the December 30 national election, Ershad, who is the leader of the opposition as president of Jatiya Party, could attend the maiden session only once due to illness.

The five-time MP flew to Singapore’s National University Hospital for medical treatment on January 20 and returned to the country on February 4. Since then he had been visiting the CMH regularly for health check-ups, said Shunil.

He was last seen at a public gathering in May when he attended an iftar mahfil arranged by his brother GM Quader at The Westin in Dhaka.

New faces have dominated the new cabinet to be sworn in tomorrow with 27 lawmakers are going to hold ministerial posts for the first time ever.

Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam today announced the names of the lawmakers to be inducted in the new cabinet.

The 47-member cabinet will see the 27 new faces and four others, who did not hold office in the immediate past cabinet but were ministers in previous AL-led government.

The nine who are going to be ministers for the first time are Md Tajul Islam (LGRD), AK Abdul Momen (Foreign), Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun (Industries), Golam Dastagir Gazi (Textiles and Jute), Sadhan Chandra Majumdar (Food), Tipu Munshi (Commerce), SM Rezaul Karim (Housing), Md Nurul Islam Sujan (Railways) and Md Shahab Uddin (Environment).