The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has expelled another 59 of its leaders and activists for contesting the upcoming general elections as rebel candidates, defying the party’s official decisions.
According to a press release issued on Wednesday night by Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, the Senior Joint Secretary General of the BNP, the individuals have been stripped of their primary membership and all other positions within the party. The party cited involvement in activities contrary to its policies, ideals, and discipline as the reason for the drastic measure.
This latest move follows the earlier expulsion of 13 other leaders who had ignored party directives by running for seats designated for the BNP’s alliance partners. With the newest additions, the total number of expelled “rebel” members continues to rise as the party seeks to maintain a unified front.
Geographic Breakdown of Expulsions
The expulsions span multiple divisions across Bangladesh, reflecting widespread internal friction over candidate selection:
| Division | Key Expulsions |
| Rangpur | Anm Bazlur Rashid (Dinajpur-2), Z M Rezwanul Haque (Dinajpur-5), Riad Arafan Sarkar Rana (Nilphamari-4). |
| Rajshahi | Taiful Islam Tipu (Natore-1), K M Anwarul Islam (Pabna-3), Zakaria Pintu (Pabna-4). |
| Khulna | Monirul Islam (Narail-2), Shahid Iqbal (Jashore-5), Dr. Shahidul Alam (Satkhira-3). |
| Dhaka | Lutfar Rahman Khan Azad (Tangail-3), Advocate Farhad Iqbal (Tangail-5), Professor Md. Rezaul Karim (Narayanganj-3). |
| Mymensingh | Salman Omar Rubel (Mymensingh-1), Sheikh Mojibur Rahman Iqbal (Kishoreganj-5). |
| Chattogram | Engineer Fazlul Azim (Noakhali-6), Liyakat Ali Chairman (Chattogram-16). |
Strict Disciplinary Action
The BNP leadership has been firm in its stance against those challenging the party-nominated candidates or alliance agreements. High-profile figures, including Lutfar Rahman Khan Azad, an advisor to the BNP Chairperson, and Taiful Islam Tipu, the Assistant Office Secretary of the National Executive Committee, were not spared from the disciplinary action.
In the press release, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi emphasized that the party would not tolerate any breach of discipline that could jeopardize the collective goals of the party and its allies during the election period.
