Quader sacks top Raushon loyalists Kazi Firoz Rashid, Sunil Shuvo Roy

The purge comes as a long-drawn power struggle plays out

Kazi Firoz Rashid and Sunil Shuvo Roy

GM Quader has sacked senior Raushon Ershad loyalists Kazi Firoz Rashid and Sunil Shuvo Roy from their positions in a move to consolidate his grip on the Jatiya Party as a long drawn power struggle plays out.

The purge came five days after it suffered a debacle in the general election.

Chairman GM Quader relieved Co-chairman Rashid and presidium member Sunil from all party posts, including presidium membership, in accordance with the party constitution with immediate effect, according to a statement signed by Mahmud Alam, the party's joint office secretary, on Friday.

The statement, however, did not provide specific reasons for this decision.

Rashid and Sunil were close associates of Raushon Ershad in the party. Rashid was a cabinet member during the leadership of party founder Hussain Muhammad Ershad, and Sunil served as Ershad's press and political secretary.

Rashid, a two-time MP from Dhaka-6 constituency, withdrew from the recent election as the Jatiya Party could not reach an agreement with the Awami League regarding that seat.

Before the election, a longstanding dispute between JP Chairman GM Quader and Raushon came to light.

Ershad's wife alleged that Quader, Ershad's brother, took control of the party by sidelining key party leaders.

Leaders known to be supporters of Raushon were also not nominated for Jan 7 polls.

Ershad's son, Rahgir Almahe Ershad, the MP for Rangpur-3 constituency, did not get a nomination, and Quader contested the seat himself. In the end, neither Raushon nor Rahgir participated in the elections.

The official opposition in the last two parliaments, won only 11 seats, losing over half of the 26 seats the Awami League had ceded to them in a seat-sharing deal.