Bangladesh's Zia for party revitalisation after election debacle

Dhaka - Facing an embarrassing defeat in the late December elections, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former premier Khaleda Zia decided Friday to revitalise the party and all its fronts to face the ruling Awami League in and outside parliament. 'We will dissolve all the party committees and fronts to reconstitute them through democratic process up to the grassroots level,' said Zia, head of the BNP which won only 30 of 299 parliamentary seats in the December 29 polls. She announced the decision while campaigning for her party candidate in elections to the southern Noakhali-1 constituency, where voting was postponed owing to the death of a candidate before December 29. Aggrieved leaders and activists at the grassroots asked Zia to overhaul the party across the country as they believe a lack of dynamism in the party leaderships in districts as well as in central committee caused the election debacle. Zia assured them of bringing change in leaderships at various tiers. She asked her party-men to keep patience, claimning that people had voted for the party, but the results were manipulated. 'There is no reason for disgrace. Despite all these adversities, the number of votes we received proved that people are with us,' she told her supporters, urging them to remain united to work for the people: 'By the grace of Allah we will be in power next time.' Although Zia alleged massive fraud in the December 29 polls, which national and international observers credited as free and fair, her party decided to join the first session of the new parliament, scheduled to sit in Dhaka on January 25. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed of the ruling Awami League-led alliance welcomed her arch-rival Zia to play her part in parliament to make democracy effective.