The first session of the 13th National Parliament will be held on March 12. The BNP members of parliament, who won the majority of seats, have already elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman as their parliamentary leader. After that, various discussions are underway in the BNP on who will be the speaker, deputy speaker, deputy leader of the parliament, and chief whip.

Some of the senior BNP leaders who were in the news for these positions from the beginning have already found their place in Tarique Rahman's new cabinet. This has changed many equations. Speculation has started anew about who is being appointed to important positions in parliament before the start of the parliamentary session.

BNP Standing Committee member and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said that the Speaker and Deputy Speaker will be finalized in the first session of the 13th Parliament.

Multiple BNP sources say that the BNP government appoints someone with experience in general legal matters to the post of Speaker. Parliamentary experience, political maturity, and party loyalty and contribution will also be considered for other posts. However, no formal decision has been made by the party on this matter yet.

When asked about this, BNP Secretary General and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told the media, "The date for the start of the parliament session has just been announced. You will know later who will be in these positions."

Those in discussion for the post of Speaker

Three senior leaders in the BNP are in a heated discussion at the last minute as the Speaker of the National Parliament. One of them is Dr. Abdul Moin Khan. Moin Khan, who is praised as a politician with a clean image, is a member of the BNP Standing Committee.
[caption id="attachment_2471" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Dr. Moin Khan (left), Zainul Abedin (center) and Dr. M Osman Farooq (right).[/caption]
This former Dhaka University teacher has been elected as a member of parliament for the fifth time from the Narsingdi-2 constituency in this election. He was a minister during the previous two BNP governments. But this time, although most of the members of the party's standing committee were appointed as ministers or advisors, Moin Khan was not kept there. Therefore, it is believed that this veteran leader, who is experienced in parliamentary politics, may be appointed as the speaker.

Among the leaders being discussed for the post of Speaker is BNP Vice Chairman Advocate Zainul Abedin. This senior Supreme Court lawyer has been elected as a member of parliament from Barisal-3 constituency. Barrister Zamir Uddin Sarkar was previously made Speaker during the BNP government from 2001-06 due to his expertise in legal matters. Considering that, some believe that Zainul Abedin, who has extensive experience in constitutional and legal matters, is more likely to become Speaker.

Another vice chairman of the party is in discussion for the post of speaker in BNP. He is Dr. M Osman Faruk - former education minister. He has worked at the World Bank for a long time. Osman Faruk, who has administrative and policy-making experience, has been elected as a member of parliament from Kishoreganj-3 constituency.
[caption id="attachment_2470" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Mahbub Uddin Khokon (left), Ashraf Uddin Nizan (center) and Andalib Rahman Partho (right).[/caption]
Three in discussion for deputy speaker post

Several names are also being floated in the party discussions for the post of Deputy Speaker. The names of MP Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon from Noakhali-1 constituency, ABM Ashraf Uddin Nijan from Lakshmipur-4 constituency, and Barrister Andalib Rahman Parthar from Bhola-1 constituency are being heard loudly.

Multiple party sources claim that the final decision will be made taking into account regional balance and organizational contributions.

Noakhali dominates the ruling party's Chief Whip post!

The names of two leaders from Noakhali have been the most discussed for the post of ruling party chief whip.

They are - Noakhali-2 constituency MP Zainul Abdin Faruk and Noakhali-3 constituency MP Barkat Ullah Bulu.
[caption id="attachment_2469" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Zainul Abdin Faruk (left) and Barkat Ullah Bulu (right).[/caption]
Six-time MP Zainul Abdin Faruk served as the Chief Whip of the Opposition in the 9th National Parliament. His name is being talked about the most this time as the Chief Whip of the ruling party due to his experience in conducting parliamentary proceedings.

On the other hand, five-time MP Barkat Ullah Bulu is a former trade advisor to the BNP government. He may also be given the responsibility of chief whip due to his active role in party activities.

Apart from this, the names of MP Nurul Islam Moni from Barguna-2 constituency and Monirul Haque Chowdhury from Comilla-6 constituency are also in the discussion of the Chief Whip.