Several more new faces in Awami League central committee, Gen Secy Quader says

After the inclusion of eight fresh faces in the panel of secretaries, newly elected Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has said several more new faces will be included in the central committee.

Most of the names have been finalised, Quader told reporters after the first meeting of the newly formed Presidium at its chief Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Ganabhaban residence on Friday.

Several of those who were present at the meeting said reshuffle in the Cabinet was also discussed in the meeting.

All the names in the central committee other than two to three of the secretaries, three Presidium members and four members of the Advisory Council have been finalised, according to Quader.

He said the names will be published on Saturday.

"A number of new faces are coming to the committee this time. Many have come from the grassroots... some new faces who were not in the limelight," Quader said. 

After the 20th National Council of the Awami League on Oct 22-23, the 14-strong new Presidium was announced.

Re-elected chief Hasina and new General Secretary Quader are ex officio members of the Presidium.

Quader announced 22 names of the 27-member panel of secretaries two days after the council.

Among the new faces, former Bangladesh Chhatra League president Enamul Haque Shamim and Chittagong Awami League President ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury's son Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nawfel have been made organising secretaries.

The six others are Finance Secretary Tipu Munshi,a former BGMEA president Social Welfare Secretary Sujit Roy Nandi, Liberation War Affairs Secretary Mrinal Kanti Das, Education and Human Resource Affairs Secretary Shamsunnahar Chanpa, Cultural Affairs Secretary Asim Kumar Ukil and Health and Population Affairs Secretary Rokeya Sultana.

The names of three Presidium members, five secretaries, two deputy secretaries, and 28 members of the Central Working Committee are awaiting announcement.

In the three-hour meeting from 7:30pm on Thursday, Cabinet reshuffle was also discussed, several of those who attended the meeting said.

Asked about the matter, Quader said, "It's the prime minister's jurisdiction."

He said the new members of the Central Working Committee led by Hasina will pay respect to Bangabandhu by visiting his grave in Gopalganj on Nov 6.

The committee's first meeting will be held on Nov 8.

He also said it would take time to announce the names of the assistant secretaries of the central subcommittee. "It will be of 100 members," the general secretary added.

Presidium members Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Matia Chowdhury, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Mohammed Nasim, Kazi Zafarullah, Sahara Khatun, Mosharraf Hossain, Nurul Islam Nahid, Abdur Razzak, Faruk Khan, Abdul Mannan Khan, Ramesh Chandra Sen and Pijush Kanti Bhattacharya attended the meeting.  

Quader's predecessor Syed Ashraful Islam, currently a member of the Presidium, left Dhaka earlier in the day to holiday in London.