NCP Moves Toward Major Central Leadership Reshuffle to Prioritise Organisational Depth
The proposed reshuffle will retain Nahid Islam and Akhter Hossen in their current roles while expanding joint convenor and specialised cell portfolios.
The National Citizen Party is preparing a substantial overhaul of its central leadership structure, with an official announcement expected within days. The changes form part of a broader effort to streamline decision-making at the top while expanding the party's capacity for sustained grassroots work ahead of local government elections and its inaugural national council.
Party sources indicate that the positions of chief organiser, chief coordinator and spokesperson will be discontinued under the new arrangement. Nahid Islam is expected to continue as convener, and Akhter Hossen is set to remain member secretary. Nasiruddin Patwary and Hasnat Abdullah are widely tipped to assume senior joint convener roles, while Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain and Sarjis Alam are positioned to serve as senior joint member secretaries. These appointments reflect a preference for leaders already active in organisational and field-level responsibilities.
The Political Council reached agreement on the broad outlines of the restructuring during two meetings held over the past fortnight. Final endorsement rests with Nahid Islam and Akhter Hossen. Earlier plans to release the revised central committee and Political Council lists were delayed; the announcement is now expected shortly after Nahid returns from engagements in Shariatpur and Madaripur.
Two senior figures currently holding high positions—Senior Joint Convener Samantha Sharmin and Senior Joint Member Secretary Nahida Sarwar Niva—are not included in the proposed top tier. Both had resigned from the party council before the national election in protest against NCP's decision to enter the Jamaat-e-Islami-led eleven-party alliance. Although they remain ordinary members and continue to sit on the advisory committee, they have largely withdrawn from active organisational duties. Their exclusion is viewed internally as a consequence of that earlier decision rather than a formal disciplinary action.
Under the emerging structure, at least ten of the sixteen Political Council members are expected to function as joint conveners, each responsible for specialised subcommittees and policy domains. The party also intends to distribute roughly thirty cell portfolios covering areas such as international relations, administration, finance, human rights and legal affairs. An additional group of joint conveners and joint member secretaries will expand the central committee beyond the Political Council itself, creating more layers of coordination without restoring the abolished posts.
A twenty-three-member Organisational Subcommittee, already formed under Sarjis Alam's leadership, will focus specifically on building district and upazila units. Parallel discussions are underway concerning the leadership of the women's wing, Jatiya Nari Shakti. Five names—Mahmuda Alam Mitu, Monira Sharmeen, Nusrat Tabassum, Humaira Noor and Manjila Jhuma—have been under consideration for the posts of convener, member secretary and organising secretary, though no final decision has been announced.
The timing of the reshuffle is closely linked to the electoral calendar. Local government elections are expected within the next year, and NCP's first national council is scheduled for February. Party leaders argue that a leaner central leadership will allow faster coordination between the centre and emerging local units, while the creation of specialised cells will improve policy depth. One Political Council member noted that the changes are intended to prepare the organisation for both the immediate demands of local contests and the longer process of institutional consolidation.
The restructuring also occurs against the backdrop of NCP's post-election positioning.
Having contested the national polls as part of a broader alliance, the party now faces the practical task of converting electoral participation into durable organisational strength. Internal debates over alliance strategy had earlier produced public resignations; the current exercise appears aimed at restoring clarity of command while retaining those who remained active. Whether the new structure succeeds in reducing friction and accelerating grassroots growth will become clearer once the full list is released and local units begin implementing the revised hierarchy.
Observers note that abolishing three specialised posts and redistributing their functions across a larger set of joint conveners could either improve efficiency or create overlapping responsibilities. The success of the model will depend on how clearly the new lines of authority are communicated to district and upazila committees once the announcement is made. For now, the party's emphasis remains on completing the leadership transition swiftly so that organisational expansion can proceed in parallel with preparations for local polls and the forthcoming national council.