One day shy of the 20th national council of the ruling Awami League (AL), the party is still to finalise the list of councillors who should constitute the electorate for ratifying the provisional changes in the party constitution and electing a new leadership.

Of the 73 organisational district units of the party, seven to eight did not send their lists of councillors until 6:00pm yesterday when the AL Central Working Committee sat to finalise the national list. Earlier, the council preparatory committee at its July 18 meeting chaired by AL President Sheikh Hasina had asked the district units to send their lists by July 20, party insiders said.

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, some of the party leaders, who have been entrusted with the task of preparing the draft list of councillors from the district units, said the units which failed to send their lists could give those until the council begins at 10:00am tomorrow.

Moreover, five to six district units including those of Narayanganj and Nilphamari, and Chittagong city unit sent more than one list of councillors each, indicating feuds within those. This made the central leadership busy resolving the disputes through discussion with the rival factions.

Meanwhile, party central leaders have to prepare lists of councillors from some 11 organisational districts including Feni, Narayanganj, Barisal (north) Barisal (south) and Kishoreganj, where the party either did not have full-fledged committees, or councils of the units were long due.

According to AL Office Secretary Abdul Mannan Khan, 5,253 leaders from 73 organistional district units are expected to join the national council as councillors. They include 1,552 from Dhaka Division, 1,211 from Rajshahi, 1,076 from Chittagong, 587 from Khulna, 325 from Barisal and 319 from Sylhet divisions.

According to the AL constitution, the party council is empowered to adopt proposals to change, improve or amend it (constitution) and manifesto of the party, formulate any policy or strategy to achieve its objectives, and elect leadership of the party including its president, general secretary and presidium.

Asked about more than one list of councillors from some district units, party leader Mrinal Kanti Das, who has been involved in the process of making the lists, said primarily they are picking the common names from separate lists and then choosing senior and important leaders to prepare a single list. He ruled out any problems in this regard.

-Daily Star