BNP dist, city unit bodies except Dhaka finalised

The convening committees of opposition BNP''s district and city units, except Dhaka city unit, have been approved by the party standing committee after a series of its meetings since Saturday.According to a party policymaker, the terms and references of the convening committees would be finalized at the adjourned standing committee meeting scheduled to sit this (Monday) evening. The standing committee, the highest policymaking body of the party, on Saturday held a marathon meeting to approve the convening committees. The meeting ultimately gave approval to the convening committees of district and city units of four divisions - Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet and Barishal. Later, the meeting was adjourned till Sunday 7:30pm.Talking to UNB over phone this afternoon, BNP standing committee member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the convening committees of all district and city units under six divisions, except Dhaka city unit, got the final approval by the standing committee. He said the new convening committees with one convenor and some joint convenors, except the Dhaka city unit, would be announced by this week.Dr Mosharraf said Sunday''s meeting which continued till midnight and adjourned for today (Monday) approved the convening committees of district and city units of Dhaka and Chittagong divisions sans Dhaka city unit. The Dhaka city unit is considered vital in the arithmetic of politics and the party''s heavyweights, particularly two antagonists, former Minister and present BNP joint secretary general Mirza Abbas and Dhaka city Mayor and former Dhaka city BNP president Sadeq Hossain Khoka are in the race to capture the top post of the unit. Dr Mosharraf said today''s (Monday''s) standing committee meeting would discuss and finalize the terms and references of the convening committees.The district convening committees would be assigned to constitute new committees of the party''s union and upazila units through councils within a deadline. The party national council would be held on completion of the councils of district, upazila and union units. About Dhaka city unit convening committee, Mosharraf said the matter is yet to come on the table for discussion. All eyes of the party leaders and workers across the country are on the new convening committee which is important for having its future leaders against the backdrop of two-pronged shock of the January 11, 2007 changeover, including the reformists from inside the party and the debacle in the December 29 general election.The announcement of the new convening committees of the party''s 75 organizational district units was supposed to be made by the third or the fourth week of April last. But it did not happen due to last-minute lobbying anti-lobbying, dispute and counter dispute by the party bigwigs to include their men and in some cases a number of senior leaders themselves became candidates for the post of convenor of politically vital districts and units as well as due to some recent political developments, according to the party insiders. A four-member subcommittee of the standing committee, headed by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, reviewed for about two months the reports of opinions of grassroots-level leaders to revamp the party as well as to constitute the district and city convening committees