The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), one of the country’s major political parties, has had seven secretaries general since its establishment in 1978.

The secretary general is the party’s key executive position after the chairperson, with the office playing a crucial role in organisational affairs, political movements and maintaining party discipline.

Among the seven leaders who have held the post, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has served the longest. He became the party’s acting secretary general in March 2011 and was appointed full secretary general in March 2016. He remains in the post.

Here is a look at the BNP secretaries general and their tenures:

AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury

Professor Dr AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury was the BNP’s founding secretary general when the party was established in September 1978 under its founder Ziaur Rahman.

He remained in the post until the mid-1980s. Sources differ slightly on the exact end date, but contemporary accounts identify him as the first secretary general of the party.

ASM Mustafizur Rahman

Lieutenant Colonel (retd) ASM Mustafizur Rahman succeeded Badruddoza Chowdhury in January 1986 and served as secretary general for about a year.

KM Obaidur Rahman

Former Dhaka University Central Students’ Union vice-president KM Obaidur Rahman took over as secretary general in 1987 and served until 1988.

Abdus Salam Talukder

Barrister Abdus Salam Talukder became secretary general in August 1988 and continued in the post until 1996. He was one of the party’s key organisers during a period that included the fall of the military regime and the BNP’s return to power.

Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan

Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan became secretary general in June 1996 and remained in the position until September 2007.

With more than 11 years in office, he was one of the BNP’s longest-serving secretaries general before Mirza Fakhrul took the record.

Khandaker Delwar Hossain

Khandaker Delwar Hossain became secretary general in September 2007, during the BNP’s difficult period under the caretaker government following the political crisis surrounding the 1/11 changeover.

He remained in the post until his death in March 2011.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir became acting secretary general in March 2011 following the death of Khandaker Delwar Hossain.

He was formally appointed secretary general on 30 March 2016, and remained in the post until 13 August 2026, making him the BNP’s longest-serving secretary general.

Fakhrul resigned as BNP secretary general and a member of its National Standing Committee after being nominated by the party as its presidential candidate on Thursday.