Work for next polls
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last night asked her party colleagues to take the next general election seriously and to prepare for it.
She also asked the Awami League ministers and lawmakers to maintain close relations with party activists and go door to door to gain people's support for the party, said sources.
Hasina, also the AL president, directed the newly-elected members of the party's presidium, the highest policy-making body of the AL, at its first meeting at the Gono Bhaban.
"She is very serious about the next polls and asked us to prepare for the polls. She also told us to take lessons from city corporation elections where our candidates were defeated despite the government's huge development work," a presidium member told The Daily Star, wishing anonymity.
At the meeting, Hasina said only development is not enough to win the polls and for this reason, party leaders and activists will have to win the people's heart so that they cast their votes for boat, the AL's electoral symbol, in the next parliamentary polls.
The ruling party's national council was held on October 22-23 when its new presidium was formed. Names of 16 out of its 19 members were announced immediately after the council.
Yesterday's meeting finalised the names of party office bearers and the AL would announce their names today. Earlier, the party declared 43 names of party office bearers out of 81.
Talking to journalists after the meeting, newly-elected AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader hinted at cabinet reshuffle.
"There might be changes in the cabinet and so three presidium posts remain vacant," he said.
He, however, didn't say anything about the timeframe of the reshuffle. "It is the jurisdiction of the prime minister. So, I should not say anything in this regard."
Sources said Faridunahar Layli would be made agriculture affairs secretary, while SM Kamal Hossain, Iqbal Hossain Apu, Anwar Hossain, Golam Rabbani Chinu, Biplob Barua and Marufa Akter Popy would be made members of the AL central working committee, the highest decision-making body of the party.
During her introductory speech, Hasina asked party leaders and activists to inform the government of various problems of the common people so that those could be resolved in time.
"It's the responsibility of the ruling party to let the government know the various problems of the common people so that those can be resolved by taking necessary measures," she said.
She claimed that her government was doing everything possible to ensure commoners' welfare and working hard to implement all the election pledges.
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