Published : 18 Feb 2026, 12:30 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 03:22 PM
Several senior figures of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have been left out of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s newly formed cabinet, in a move that has surprised party insiders and prompted speculation about a recalibration of power within the ruling party.
The 49-strong cabinet, announced following the BNP’s return to office, does not include a number of veteran leaders who were widely tipped for ministerial posts after days of intense conjecture in political circles and on social media.
Among the notable omissions are BNP Standing Committee members Mirza Abbas and Gayeswar Chandra Roy, alongside several vice chairmen and members of the party’s advisory board.
Many of those excluded previously served in the cabinets of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and played central roles in sustaining the party during years of opposition, including during Tarique’s exile and Khaleda’s imprisonment.
Party sources say the leaders left out are expected to be assigned other influential roles within the party or the state apparatus in the coming days.
The cabinet composition is widely seen as reflecting Tarique Rahman’s effort to balance continuity with renewal, elevating a new generation of leaders while keeping experienced hands within the broader power structure.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the ministerial oaths at the South Plaza of parliament on Tuesday afternoon, after MPs took their oaths in the morning.
Tarique’s new government has 41 fresh faces, including two leaders from the BNP’s alliance partners.
Tarique himself has also been elected as an MP for the first time.
Other BNP Standing Committee members missing in the new government include Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Abdul Moyeen Khan.
The leaders served in the late BNP chairperson Khaleda’s cabinet.
A Standing Committee member believes Tarique has a different plan for his party’s senior leaders.
Among the Standing Committee members, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, AZM Zahid Hossain, and Hafiz Uddin Khan have been appointed as ministers.
The names of Jamiruddin Sircar, Selima Rahman, and Nazrul Islam Khan are missing from the list of ministers.
Jamiruddin is physically unwell.
A BNP source suggested that Nazrul Islam might be appointed as an advisor to the prime minister.
Several former ministers whose names had circulated before the cabinet announcement -- including Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury and Barkat Ullah Bulu -- were ultimately left out, as were former state ministers Lutfozzaman Babar and Aman Ullah Aman.
Speculation that Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Joint Secretary General Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel might enter the cabinet as technocrats also did not materialise.
The cabinet does, however, include alliance partners such as Ganosamhati Andolon Coordinator Zonayed Saki, Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Huq Nur, and Nationalist Democratic Movement Chairman Bobby Hajjaj.
Other key allies who were on the streets during the movement, including Nagorik Oikko President Mahmudur Rahman Manna and Bangladesh Revolutionary Workers Party General Secretary Saiful Huq, as well as representatives from religious parties, did not receive ministerial appointments.
Congratulating the BNP government, Saiful hoped it would work to build a progressive, democratic, non-communal, and pluralistic Bangladesh.
He, however, called the government a complete BNP house, except for two to three exceptions.
“BNP is sidelining allies as it moves ahead. This new cabinet reflects a 'go-it-alone' policy and exudes an air of overconfidence,” he said.
“Many senior leaders did not find a place in the new cabinet; perhaps they will be seen in other roles later. However, they have formed this government by excluding the allies who stood by them during their most difficult and trying times. The true significance or impact of this will be understood in the days to come,” Saiful added.
The most notable inclusion in the new cabinet is Khalilur Rahman, the former National Security Advisor and High Representative for Rohingya Affairs to the former chief advisor Muhammad Yunus.
During the interim government’s tenure, some BNP leaders had demanded Khalilur’s removal over controversial proposals regarding port leases to foreign firms and the establishment of a Rohingya corridor.
Some leaders were surprised at Khalilur’s induction into the cabinet as a technocrat minister.
“Tarique Rahman has formed this cabinet based on his own political strategy. This is undoubtedly the prime minister's prerogative; there is no room for outside opinion here,” said a member of the Standing Committee, seeking anonymity.
BNP has formed the government after winning 209 seats in the parliamentary polls.
