Senior vice-chairman of BNP Tarique Rahman will run the party as its acting chairman in absence of Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Party leaders said this on Thursday after the BNP chief was sent to jail following conviction by a court in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.
While addressing a press conference at the party's Nayapaltan central office, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, "Our party will be run as per its constitution."
According to the section C of Article 5 of BNP charter, party vice-chairman will perform as its acting chairman in absence of the party chairperson.
BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan said Tarique Rahman, now living in London, has automatically become the party's acting chairman as per the constitution after Khaleda was sent to jail.
Nazrul said Tarique will be able to run the party by providing necessary directions to party top leaders from London.
Also the elder son of Khaleda, Tarique was also sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment and fined Tk 21.0 million in the same case. He was earlier convicted in a money laundering case.
Tarique, who has been living in London since September 11, 2008 after being released from jail on parole, was made the party's senior vice-chairman in its fifth national council, creating the new post.
Also, BNP vice-chairman Hafizuddin Ahmed said Tarique in coordination with the party standing committee members will run the party in absence of Khaleda.
Wishing anonymity, a party standing committee member said Khaleda has already given her party's top leaders the necessary direction about how the party will be run.
UNB quoted him as saying that they are not worried about party leadership as Khaleda will get bail very soon.
