The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headed by former president Badruddoza Chowdhury yesterday restored its previous identity as Bikolpa Dhara Bangladesh.
The LDP took this decision to be eligible for invitation from the Election Commission (EC) for the ongoing electoral reform talks with it, party sources said.
According to the policy set by the EC, for a political party to be eligible to receive invitation for the talks, it must have secured at least one parliamentary seat in any general election since the independence of Bangladesh, or it must have secured at least two percent of cast votes in any general election since the independence, or it must have committees in 32 districts and in all upazilas under those districts with a minimum of 1,000 members in each district unit and 200 members in each upazila unit.
The LDP does not meet the EC criteria.
If they (LDP) restored its former identity as Bikolpa Dhara Bangladesh, it would be invited for talks, the EC had earlier told newsmen.
A Bikolpa Dhara press release yesterday said, "Most of our party leaders and workers do not want use of the name LDP, and therefore we restored the name Bikolpa Dhara Bangladesh."
Signed by Maj (retd) MA Mannan, secretary general the party, the press release also said an LDP leader's proposal to divide Bangladesh into 11 provinces was against the ideals and principles of LDP.
"Besides, the image of LDP was tarnished as some of its leaders were allegedly involved in corruption of the previous BNP-led coalition government. And for this, party workers wanted restoring the name Bikolpa Dhara," it added.
Badruddoza had formed Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh on March 10, 2004 and abolished the party to form the LDP on October 26, 2006 with Col (retd) Oli Ahmed and several other BNP leaders who had left the BNP.
The (LDP) split only eight months after its formation due to disputes between party president Badruddoza and executive president Oli Ahmed.
Announcing formation of a new party presidium, Badruddoza said Oli Ahmed, former speaker Sheikh Razzak Ali and 11 others were no longer in the party.
And Oli Ahmed claimed he had majority support in the party with 12 of the 15 presidium members backing him.