The culture has bred leadership crisis in the party and virtually taken the steam off its activities, BNP leaders told The Daily Star.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who was elected the party chief in 1997, is currently leading the BNP into the fourth year without any mandate. The BNP constitution lays down that the national council members will directly vote the chairman into office for two years.

Similarly, the National Executive Committee (NEC) has expired long ago. The last BNP council was held in 1993 and an extended meeting in 1996.

At the lowest level, the party has nearly 500 committees most of which are operating without election for several years.

At the district level, the party has 75 committees with only 21 of them elected recently.

Recently, the Hawa Bhaban-based party nerve centre is putting pressure on district units to hold elections. In some cases, they called in district committees to Dhaka and held fresh elections in the capital.

"Many party workers and leaders have lost their sense of belonging as years of dedication and activities are failing to get recognition," observed a mid-level BNP leader.

A senior leader agreed to his suggestion and held lack of democratic practices in the party culpable for the 'sense of alienation' in the party rank and file.

"When there is a lack of democratic practice in a democratic party, it is mirrored in the running of the government."

He, however, attributed the problem to probable 'intra-party feud factor' in the wake of a party council.

"When an NEC is elected, defeated members tend to resort to anti-party activities. But it is part of political parties in a democracy and it should not be avoided."

The largest political party that won 195 seats in the last general elections has a 15-tier organisational structure, of which the National Standing Committee (NSC) and the NEC are pivotal.

The NSC is supposed to sit once every month and the NEC once every three months. But they seldom hold meetings.

The NSC, the highest decision-making body of the BNP, last met on July 17 at the Prime Minister's Office to nominate a candidate for the Netrokona-3 by-polls.

Since 1996, the NEC it is yet to hold a fully-fledged meeting. The body held several meetings while in opposition with the members residing in Dhaka.

The NSC is supposed to comprise 15 members nominated by the chairperson, but the body has long been operating with 12 members, despite the party chief's interest in raising the number of her advisory council and NEC members.

And except for Khaleda Zia, there is no woman member in the NSC, although the party constitution calls for greater involvement of women in its activities.

The BNP constitution outlines a 15-member chairman's advisory council with the members enjoying vice-president's status.

The chairperson has been authorised to increase the number of advisors in case of an emergency. But the council now stands at 27, however the situation is.

The NEC should have 15 vice-presidents, but now the figure runs into 17. The body is supposed to have 251 members but currently consists of 160 -- 81 office-bearers and 79 executive members.

The NEC should also have a minimum of 25 women members and another 25 people representing workers, freedom fighters, farmers, indigenous communities and other sections of society. But there are only 12 women members.

The BNP constitution suggests one-third of the total NEC members to be picked from the National Council, but the rule is also ignored.