Registration of 2 Parties: Questions raised over EC’s picks

A day after the Election Commission primarily cleared little-known Bangladesh Nationalist Movement (BNM) and Bangladesh Supreme Party (BSP) for registration as political parties, it now emerged that BNM is a party formed by some former BNP leaders while BSP is an ally of some Islamist parties having ties with the ruling Awami League.   

Before the EC's announcement on Sunday that these two parties met the criteria for registration with the commission, neither party was really known to the political circle.

"Who are they? I've never heard of them before. The question is why is the Election Commission registering two unknown parties, excluding the parties that are rather active?" said Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar yesterday.

Leaders of different political parties also alleged yesterday that the EC "picked them on the advice of government  agencies".

 "It's an agency job. The party will get registration to create a rift in the BNP," said Mustafizur Rahman Iran, chairman of Labour Party, which did not get registration.

He was speaking at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club, jointly organised by nine parties whose applications for registration with the EC were rejected.

A BNP standing committee member told The Daily Star yesterday that they smelt a rat in EC's decision.

"It's part of the [government's] conspiracy to split BNP," he said, wishing anonymity.

BNM was formed in July 2021. Its convener is Abdur Rahman and member secretary is Maj (retd) Md Hanif. Both of them are former BNP leaders.

Hanif resigned form BNP's executive committee in June 2021. Rahman was elected MP with BNP ticket from Barguna-1 in 1996, but later left the party.

BNM Spokesperson and Joint Convener Sarowar Hossain left BNP in 2019.

He denied that their party is involved in any conspiracy.

"The allegation against BNM that it is hatching conspiracy to split BNP is completely false," he told The Daily Star yesterday.

Asked whether the ruling party is backing them, he said, "Not at all. It is absolutely false."

BNM insiders said that at least nine out of the 33 central leaders are retired army officers.

The Daily Star visited the BNM office on the capital's Airport Road around noon yesterday, when there was no one but an office bearer. Locals said the office was rented only recently.

BSP was formed in 2019 and is member of newly floated Islamic Liberal Alliance. According to media reports, BSP organised different programmes last year, where ruling AL MPs and party leaders including Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya and former AL MP Aga Khan joined either as chief guest or as special guest.

Dhaka University Vice Chancellor Prof M Akhtaruzzaman inaugurated a reception in June this year, after party Chairman Sheikh Shajada Syed Saifuddin Ahmed Maizbhandari got an honorary doctorate degree from Morocco.

Saifuddin Ahmed is also nephew of Syed Najibul Bashar Maizbhandari, chairman of Bangladesh Tarikat Federation, a government ally.

Mohammad Ibrahim Miah, office secretary of the BSP, said that they lean towards the ruling party.

"Leaders of different political parties attend our social programmes," he told The Daily Star at the party office in Mirpur-1 yesterday.

Meanwhile, Nagarik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna also questioned the EC's decision to pick these two parties.

"The Election Commission has no impartiality. The constitutional body has now become an affiliate of the ruling party," he told a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club yesterday.

Nurul Haque Nur, president of a fraction of Gono Odhikar Parishad, was also present at the programme.

He claimed that there were directives from different agencies on the EC not to allow any party other than these two to get registered. He made similar claims on Sunday.

Election Commissioner Md Alamgir said they do not make decisions based on agency reports.

"In a democratic country, anyone can make a complaint, they have the right to do that. The people of this country should judge how true that claim is," he told The Daily Star yesterday.

He said that BNM and BSP are set to get registration as they have fulfilled the criteria set by the law.