With the general elections over and the new cabinet already in place, it is time for our political leaders to look to the future. While there had been a noticeable lack of participation by major opposition BNP, recent rumblings about the party potentially joining local government polls offer it an opportunity to finally regain some of its lost political relevance.
According to a recent Dhaka Tribune report, the BNP’s local government experts have already submitted a written charter of recommendations to the party’s current leadership. In light of the Election Commission’s potential elections for women-reserved seats in the 12th National Parliament next month and the Upazila Parishads in March, this is not an opportunity that the opposition should squander.
As an opposition party, the BNP’s relevance within our political sphere has been on the wane for the better part of a decade now, and -- despite its stance against the elections and how they should be held -- it does the party next to no favours to continue digging its heels in. Participating at a more local level elections would provide BNP with a potential platform to gain more political points and perhaps even regain its relevance as a major party.
It is abundantly clear that the opposition’s demands have little to no scope of being met and that the party is in dire need of reforms when it comes to its views on elections -- the BNP needs to take a more measured approach in how it can participate.
As things stand, for the BNP, there is everything to gain and not much to lose were the party to consider rebuilding itself as a more grassroots organization. Taking part in local polls would be an excellent start, to that end.
Monday, July 20, 2026
