NCP Publishes Reorganised Central Committee: Nahid as Convener, Akhtar as Member Secretary, New Roles for Hasnat, Sarjis, Patwary and Asif
The National Citizen Party (NCP) has published the list of its reorganised central convening committee. Nahid Islam remains convener and Akhtar Hossain remains member secretary in the new committee. With Friday afternoon's publication of the list, a major reshuffle in the party's top structure has taken formal shape.
On Friday (23 October) at noon, the reorganised committee list was published in a notice signed by the party's office cell secretary Sadia Farzana Dina. The list was also published on the NCP's Facebook page.
Nasiruddin Patwary and Hasnat Abdullah have come in as senior joint conveners. Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan and Sarjis Alam have become senior joint member secretaries. The four leaders' previous posts — chief coordinator, chief organiser and spokesperson — have been abolished and replaced with these new positions.
Hasnat Abdullah had served from the beginning as the party's chief organiser (southern region), while Nasiruddin Patwary held the post of chief coordinator. As both are now senior joint conveners in the new committee, their positions have risen to the rank immediately below the convener and member secretary.
On the other hand, Sarjis Alam, the party's chief organiser (northern region), and Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, who held the spokesperson's responsibility, have been given the post of senior joint member secretary in the reorganised committee. There is discussion that, in the new committee, Sarjis and Asif have fallen behind others in the race.
The biggest change has come in the case of Samantha Sharmin. She has been dropped from the highest political council. An important party leader after the July uprising, Samantha Sharmin was initially senior joint convener; now she is only a joint convener.
Samantha Sharmin reportedly became somewhat inactive after the NCP allied with Jamaat in the national parliamentary election held on 12 February. Many inside the party believe her demotion in the reorganised committee is linked to that context.
Although it has not been able to hold a national council in nearly two years since its founding, the party has brought changes to several top posts. This decision to reorganise the convening committee without a council has given rise to fresh discussion about the party's organisational process.
With the names and tiers of posts changed in the new structure, questions have also been raised about how much influence each leader will have in party decision-making. Abolishing familiar posts such as chief coordinator and chief organiser in favour of a joint convener and joint member secretary structure resembles the committee structures of mainstream parties.
The retention of Nahid Islam and Akhtar Hossain as convener and member secretary makes clear that the party wanted continuity in its top leadership. The changes have come mainly in the arrangement of second-tier leadership — the order of who ranks above whom has been rearranged.
As a party of leaders who emerged through the July uprising, every organisational decision of the NCP draws attention in the political arena. This reorganised committee list has also been at the centre of discussion since its publication on Friday.
What remains to be seen now is whether this reorganised committee can take the party towards a national council and how much momentum the leaders with new responsibilities can bring to organisational work. Political observers will be watching the party's next programmes and reactions following the list's publication.
