The ruling party’s recent decision to assign its reserved-seat women MPs to constituencies won by opposition parties is unfair and undemocratic. Reportedly, this is being done to keep the ruling party’s grassroots activities active in constituencies where BNP lost. But this move is likely to overlap with the role of a constituency’s elected parliamentarian and may lead to a conflict of authority and potential undermining of the elected opposition MP.

An elected MP’s duty is to represent their constituency by voicing the constituents’ concerns in the House. Though controversial, the existing local government laws assign MPs an advisory role in local government decisions regarding development work. In our current political culture, the ruling party MPs’ advice effectively functions as executive orders for local government, particularly in rural areas, whereas the opposition lawmakers’ advice is often disregarded, especially when the local government is controlled by ruling party representatives. Constituencies represented by the opposition also historically receive less development allocation. Now, if the ruling party’s reserved-seat MPs start overseeing development work in opposition constituencies, would local administration even pretend to heed the elected MP’s advice?

The risk becomes clear in the words of reserved-seat MP Dr Sunsila Jabrin Priyanka, who gave the example of issuing a demi-official (DO) letter for a Chhatra Dal activist. Local party members often use this document to gain an unfair advantage and win government contracts. A BNP activist is less likely to get a DO letter from a Jamaat-e-Islami or NCP MP. But if the DO letter comes from a ruling party reserved-seat MP, it would undoubtedly be preferred in the bidding process, given our political culture. As a result, grassroots activists and local power brokers may have an incentive to align themselves with the ruling party, even in areas where the BNP has traditionally been weak. In other words, competition for local influence and patronage is likely to tilt further in the ruling party’s favour.

If BNP’s intentions were solely to test the political performance of its reserved-seat members to prepare them for future nomination in election, the party would have also assigned them to constituencies won by BNP candidates. But the current distribution, according to a report by this daily, suggests that the ruling party’s main focus has been on seats where Jamaat has a strong presence. According to a Samakal report, this is not the first time that reserved-seat MPs have been tasked with the responsibilities of opposition constituencies. Sheikh Hasina carried out a similar strategy in 2009, which did not end well, Samakal reported quoting a Jamaat leader.

While no official gazette or legal procedure supports this assignment, which is but a party strategy, it carries unofficial weight and would impact local governance. It not only prioritises partisan interests but also reflects a tendency to adopt undemocratic practices, which is concerning. We expect better from a party that fought for a functional democracy in the country for decades.