Shakeup likely in vital committees

Incumbent Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam may get the responsibility for the third consecutive time through the party's March 28 council, party sources said.

Though some other AL heavyweights are trying to become the ruling party's second-in-command, Ashraf is likely to retain the post because of his “clean image and loyalty to party chief Sheikh Hasina”.

The 20th triennial AL council may see some shake-ups in different party forums and changes in its charter, according to the sources.

The number of members in the AL Central Working Committee (ALCWC), the apex decision-making forum, will be increased which eventually will expand the size of the National Executive Committee as well.

The oldest political organisation of the country may introduce a number of new faces in its central command and drop some incumbent leaders for their "unsatisfactory performances", AL sources say.

Hasina, who has been at the party's helm since 1980 and led it to power thrice, would retain her position unchallenged, they say.

There were widespread speculations that Ashraf, who was first elected general secretary through the AL's 18th council in 2009, would lose the post when he was removed from the LGRD ministry and made minister without portfolio in July last year.

However, all the speculations fizzled out after Ashraf was made the public administration minister weeks later.

Senior AL leaders including Obaidul Quader, Mahabubul Alam Hanif, Abdur Razzak and Dipu Moni, according to sources, are trying to woo the party president with a view to replacing Ashraf.

AL veterans like Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed and Suranjit Sengupta -- all Advisory Council members currently -- are likely to be inducted in the Presidium, the highest policy-making body of the party.

The three along with Abdur Razzaq, who passed away in 2011, were dropped from the AL Presidium for they were believed to have attempted reforms within the party bypassing Hasina following the 2007 political changeover.

They might regain the chairs as Hasina inducted them in her cabinet in 2014.

Three posts in the Presidium now lie vacant following the death of Zohra Tajuddin and expulsion of Latif Siddique from the party. The other post has been vacant since the 2012 council.

The ALCWC currently has 73-member: the president, the general secretary, 13 Presidium members, 19 secretaries, two deputy secretaries, three joint general secretaries, seven organising secretaries, one treasurer and 26 members.

From eight to 18 posts are likely to be added in the committee, sources said.

On September 11 last year, the ALCWC decided to create three more divisional units -- Mymensingh, Faridpur and Comilla. So, three more organising secretaries, each assigned to a particular division, have now to be included in the committee.

The expansion of the ALCWC will lead to the extension of the National Executive Committee, which now has 166 members.

Sources said the party might create the post for a religious and ethnic minority affairs secretary.

They also added that Tarana Halim, Meher Afroze Chumki and Sagufta Yasmin Emily are likely to be inducted in the central committee.

Besides, the number of organisational units will increase as the party has decided to split its Dhaka city committee into two and form new city units for Mymensingh, Faridpur and Comilla.

On the changes in the central forums, AL Presidium Member Nooh Ul Alam Lenin said it was a regular practice to replace some existing faces with some new ones through the councils.

"We may bring some changes in the party's constitution to include provisions for selection of candidates for the local government polls," he told The Daily Star.

The AL charter now has provisions for endorsing candidates only for parliamentary elections.

As the local government polls are now being held on party lines, there needs to be specific guidelines in the party constitution on picking candidates for the elections, he added.

The party held the 19th council on December 29, 2012, and the tenure of the committee formed through it expired on December 28 last year.

The inaugural session of the March 28 council would take place in the capital's Suhrawardy Udyan. The second session would be held at the adjacent Institution of Engineers where councillors and delegates will elect the new leadership.