Overall, 79 BNP leaders are running for the post of president including all three phases, 28 in the first, 25 in the second and 26 in the third.
The concerned persons say that these chairman candidates are quite influential in their respective fields. They are also organizationally strong. The expulsion of these leaders one after the other could potentially weaken the party at the grassroots and field level.
However, the party leadership is adopting a tough stance. They are saying that there is no way to ensure order and discipline within the party except expelling those leaders who have decided to contest the elections despite the party's decision to boycott the elections. In this case, the party is deliberately ignoring the fact that these expulsions may weaken its organizational base at the grassroots level to some extent.
