Discussion of a possible cabinet reshuffle is intensifying as the BNP-led government approaches its first six months in office on August 16. The report, published on August 14, said speculation grew in the Secretariat after BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was named the party’s candidate for the country’s 23rd president. Alamgir currently holds the Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives portfolio, and sources said several ministries could receive new faces after the new president is sworn in.

Government sources said an assessment of ministers and state ministers is nearing completion, examining performance, ministry work pace, progress on election commitments and their role in the government’s image. The report said intelligence agencies and the Prime Minister’s Office collected information on ministry activities, decision-making, coordination with the administration, complaint handling, parliamentary attendance, accountability and political roles.

Former ministers Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan are among those discussed for the LGRD portfolio, while Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and Selima Rahman are being considered as possible new ministers. The report also cited possible technocrat appointments and redistribution of portfolios held by ministers overseeing multiple ministries. A senior government member said the final decision remains with the prime minister.