BNP members sworn in as MPs; party says they will not take oath for changing existing constitution

BNP members sworn in as MPs in Bangladesh, but refuse oath for Constitution Reforms Commission, citing legal concerns.

Members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party who won in the just concluded Parliamentary election were sworn-in as members of Jatiyo Sansad, the Parliament of Bangladesh on Tuesday (February 17, 2026).

However, the 212 members of the BNP-led alliance did not take the oath for the Constitution Reforms Commission, with leading members saying such a commission is outside of the law. The Election Commission of Bangladesh had announced on Monday (February 16, 2026) that the oath-taking ceremony would include both the oaths of the membership to the Parliament as well as membership to the Constitution Reforms Commission.

Earlier this morning, Chairman of BNP Tarique Rahman led the alliance members to the Parliament where they were administered the oath of membership of the Parliament by Chief Election Commissioner A.M.M. Nasir Uddin in the Oath Taking Hall of the Parliament.

However, minutes after the first oath, Mr. Rahman led the MPs out of the hall for the first meeting of the BNP parliamentary party.

Sources said that the meeting was meant to finalise the shape of the cabinet. Earlier, standing committee member of the BNP Salahuddin Ahmed had announced that the party would not take the oath for Constitution Reforms Commission understandably because the oath for such a commission would counter the oath for MPs which includes upholding the integrity of the constitution of Bangladesh.

There were also doubts about the shape of the Constitution Reforms Commission but BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami sources confirmed to The Hindu that the entire Parliament was expected to serve as a reforms commission for 180 days.