BNP Forms 50-Member Cabinet, Invitations Sent

Following the conclusion of the swearing-in ceremony for newly elected members of the Thirteenth National Parliament, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is preparing to form a new cabinet comprising 50 members.

On Tuesday, 17 February, President Md. Sahabuddin is scheduled to administer the oath to the new ministers at the South Plaza of the National Parliament building. With a commanding parliamentary majority, the BNP is set to form the government for the fourth time in its history.

The Cabinet Division has arranged 49 vehicles to transport the ministers for the swearing-in ceremony. Of the 50 anticipated members, 25 are expected to be full ministers while 24 will assume the role of state ministers. Invitations for the oath-taking have already been extended via phone calls by the Cabinet Division.

Senior BNP leaders expected to be included in the cabinet are Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, alongside several others. The list also includes Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Abu Zafar Md. Zahid Hossain, and technocrat Dr. Khalilur Rahman.

Some of the notable ministers and state ministers expected in the new cabinet are summarised below:

The Thirteenth National Parliament election was held on 12 February. Out of 297 contested seats, BNP candidates secured 209, while the 11-party Jamaat-led alliance won 77 seats — including 68 for Jamaat alone and nine for allied parties. A majority government requires 151 seats out of the 300, meaning BNP’s victory grants them an absolute majority.

Political analysts attribute BNP’s landslide victory to several factors: the enduring legacy of the 1971 Liberation War, the charismatic leadership of party chairman Tarique Rahman, over 17 years of oppression under the previous Awami League government, party unity, and the enduring sacrifices of former chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and the Zia family.

The most decisive factor, however, was Tarique Rahman’s return to the country after 17 years in exile. His active leadership in the election campaign, combined with organisational restructuring, has reinvigorated the BNP, providing a clear political roadmap centred on restoring democracy, administrative reform, economic reconstruction, and good governance.