AL plans to bring in fresh blood

The ruling Awami League is going to hold its 20th tri-annual council in late October, keeping the next general election in mind.

It is planning to inject fresh blood in the policymaking body with a view to infusing enthusiasm into the party activities, party insiders said.

The declaration of the conference on October 22-23 will gradually be changed into the party's election manifesto before the 2019 parliamentary polls.

It will feature the plans and goals that the country's oldest political party has set to implement and achieve by 2041.  It will also highlight the party's major achievements and mega projects taken up during its two consecutive terms in office.

"The next election manifesto will be prepared in the light of the declaration that will be placed at the council," AL presidium member Nuh-ul-Alam Lenin told The Daily Star.

Postponing the date thrice, the Awami League finally fixed the schedule for its council session to be held in the capital's historic Suhrawardy Udyan.

There it may make a formal announcement of its preparation for the 11th national polls. The AL might as well come up with a slogan for election campaigns.

Before the 2008 election, the party's slogan was "Charter for Change" and before the 2014 polls, which were boycotted by most of the major political parties, it adopted "Digital Bangladesh" as the election slogan.

The party will form a workforce through the council to work for the next polls, said AL Organising Secretary Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury.

"As this council will be the last before the 11th [general] election, it will focus on the next polls and the strategy to win [them]," he added.

The party has already come up with its slogan -- “We are marching down the development highway, now is the time for Bangladesh to stand tall” -- for the council.

The number of members in the AL central working committee, the apex decision-making forum, will be increased to 81, which in turn will expand the size of the now 166-member National Executive Committee. The existing working committee has 73 members.

No major reshuffle will be done at the top.

Party President Sheikh Hasina, who has been at the helm of the party since 1980 and led it to power thrice, will retain her position unchallenged.

Her second-in-command Syed Ashraful Islam, elected the party's general secretary through the 18th council in 2009, may get the responsibility for the third consecutive time.

The party might create four more presidium member posts, two joint secretary posts, one organising secretary post for Mymensingh division and two secretariat posts including a “training secretary”.

A number of new faces might be given divisional organising secretary posts while some incumbent leaders might be removed, considering their performances.

The central working committee is now comprised of president, general secretary, 13 presidium members, 19 secretaries, two deputy secretaries, three joint general secretaries, seven organising secretaries, one treasurer and 26 members.

Two posts of presidium members fell vacant following the death of Zohra Tajuddin and expulsion of Latif Siddique from the party. The other post has remained vacant since the 2012 council.

The party this time will fill the vacant posts of the presidium members who make the highest policy-making body of the party.