A number of senior BNP leaders are seeking to retain control over the party's city units by incorporating local leaders loyal to them in the committees.

They are out to keep their supremacy in their respective localities to get benefit during the next parliamentary election set to be held by the end of this year.

Dhaka north city BNP approved 25 thana committees and 58 ward committees last night.

Party sources said Dhaka north city units President MA Kayum's followers got most of the posts in Badda area, general secretary Ahsan Ullah Hasan's followers got most in Mirpur area and former Jubo Dal president Saiful Alam Nirob's loyal dominated Tejgaon area committees.

All three of them are supposedly aspirants of BNP tickets in the general elections.

Insiders said the full committees of units in Dhaka south would be announced before Eid to intensify party's movement to have party chief Khaleda Zia released from prison.

They said proposals of three committees have recently been submitted for the party's Shyampur thana unit.

Central leader and former lawmaker Salahuddin Ahmed submitted one committee headed by Abul Hasem and Mofazzal Hossain as the president and general secretary respectively.

Two others committees had been submitted by Dhaka north city unit BNP Vice-President Joynal Abedin Ratan and Assistant General Secretary Akbar Hossain Nantu. They had made the recommendations keeping themselves as the president of the committee.

The same situation is found in Jatrabari. Local leaders have submitted two committees -- one by Salahuddin Ahmed's followers and the other by Dhaka south city unit BNP Vice-President Nabiullah Nabi's followers.

Talking to The Daily Star, Salahuddin said, “In a large party like BNP there has always been competition to get posts and positions. It is natural. We are just trying to give the dedicated and tested leaders posts in the committee.”

Speaking anonymously, a senior leader told this newspaper that nomination seekers of the parliamentary polls are busy grabbing the city unit committees by making their loyal supporters presidents and general secretaries.

On April 19 last year, BNP announced partial committees for its Dhaka north and south city units.

Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel was made the president of Dhaka south unit, while Kazi Abul Basar was named as its general secretary. Abdul Kayum and Ahsan Ullah Hasan were made the president and general secretary of Dhaka north city unit respectively.

The 70-member partial committee of Dhaka south and 66-member Dhaka north were asked to form the full committees within a month. But they failed to complete the full committee within the stipulated time.

There are 101 ward and 21 thana committees in Dhaka north and south city units each.

Former lawmaker and BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas hails from Dhaka-8 constituency and has a strong support base in both his and the Dhaka-9 constituency.

Sources said Abbas wants to include his loyal followers in all the thana committees of these two constituencies. On the other side, Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel prefers his men for Dhaka-8 constituency as he contested the last election from there.

The same situation prevails in Dhaka-6 (Kotwali-Sutrapur) constituency.

Former mayor of Dhaka city Sadeque Hossain Khoka was elected several times from this constituency where he has a strong support base. Convicted in a graft case, Khoka has been staying in the USA and undergoing treatment there for a long time.

In his absence, General Secretary of BNP Dhaka south Kazi Abul Bashar is trying to get party blessings to contest the next parliamentary polls from this constituency.

Bashar is trying to give his loyal supporters the important posts in the local committees, the party sources said.

“We are taking recommendations from every group and will form the committees accommodating maximum leaders. Our target is not to drop anyone. If any problem arises, we will take a decision after consulting with senior leaders,” Bashar told The Daily Star.