Jatiya Sangsad

Article 70 of the Constitution makes floor crossing illegal.[6][7] Members engaging in floor crossing lose their membership.[6]

Floor crossing is described in the Constitution as:[6]

• Resignation from the political party that nominated the member,
• Voting against the nominating party, or
• Abstaining from voting, either by abstention or absence, against the directive of the party Whip.

The only case of floor crossing in Bangladesh was when majority members M.A. Mannan and Mahi B. Chowdhury defected from the Bangladesh National Party to form a new party, Bikolpo Dhara.[8] Fresh by-elections were held soon after the seats were vacated. Mahi B. Chowdhury retained his seat under the new party, whereas Mannan failed.

As most candidates are elected by the funding, support and brand name of the party, resignation from the party is considered to void the choice of the people.[7] The prime objective of banning floor crossing is to prevent members from joining other parties for personal gains.[7] This is crucial in marginal majorities, where a few majority members voting against the majority essentially changes the government party in power.[7]

The ban on floor crossing stunts the members from speaking out against bad policies pitched by their party.[7] This is considered harmful for parliamentary democracy, as the ban forces members to agree with their party leaders regardless of their own opinions or the opinions of their constituents.[7]

Article 71 of the Constitution allows eligible people to be candidates in more than one constituency.[6] However, if elected from multiple seats, the member must vacate all but one seat.[9]

It is usually the custom for prominent politicians, especially party leaders.[10] During the 2008 election Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina, prominent AL figure (and later prime minister of Bangladesh) Zillur Rahman, BNP leader Khaleda Zia and Jatiya Party leader H M Ershad all were candidates in the maximum possible number of constituencies.[9]

The parliamentary groups of the Jatiya Sangsad are groups of Members of Parliament organised by a political party or coalition of parties. The leadership of each groups consists of a parliamentary party leader, deputy leader, whips and a parliamentary working committee. The size of a group determines the extent of its representation on legislative committees, the time slots allotted for speaking, the number of committee chairs it can hold, and its representation in executive bodies of the parliament.[20]

• Current Composition
  • Government coalition
    • Leader of the House; the post is usually held by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh
    • Deputy Leader of the House
    • Chief Whip
    • Six Whips
  • Official Opposition
    • Leader of the Opposition
    • Deputy Leader of the Opposition
    • Chief Whip of the Opposition

The Parliament executive bodies include the Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, the House Committee and Parliament Secretariat. The House Committee consists of the Parliament Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Whips. Every major political party appoints a whip who is responsible for the party's discipline and behaviour on the floor of the house. The committee is the coordination hub, determining the daily legislative agenda and assigning committee chairpersons based on Parliamentary group representation. The Parliament Secretariat, headed by a Senior Secretary, is in charge of all its administrative duties, including its clerical, broadcasting and information activities.

• Current Composition:
  • Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad
  • Deputy Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad
  • House Committee
  • Parliament Secretariat

Most of the legislative work in the Parliament is done in the standing committees, which exist largely unchanged throughout one legislative period. The Parliament has a number of committees, with small numbers of Members appointed to deal with particular topics or issues. The Committees on Ministry (CoM) are committees which are set down under the Parliament's standing orders. The number of Committees on Ministry approximates the number of Ministries of Bangladesh, and the titles of each are roughly similar (e.g., defence, agriculture, and labour). There are, as of the current tenth Parliament, 50 standing committees.[21] The distribution of committee chairs and the membership of each committee reflect the relative strength of the various Parliamentary groups in the house.

• Current Committees:
  • Committee on Estimates
  • Committee on Government Assurances
  • Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Library Committee
  • Committee on Petitions
  • Committee on Private Member's Bills and Resolutions
  • Standing Committee of Privileges
  • House Committee
  • Business Advisory Committee
  • Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure
  • Committee on Public Undertakings
  • 39 Committees on Ministry (CoMs)

The parliament is housed in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (জাতীয় সংসদ ভবন Jatiyô Sôngsôd Bhôbôn), located at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka. Designed by the American architect, Louis Kahn, the building is one of the largest legislative complexes in the world, comprising 200 acres (81 ha).[22][23] Louis Kahn designed the entire Jatiya Sangsad complex, which includes lawns, lake and residences for the Members of the Parliament (MPs). The main building, which is at the center of the complex, is divided into three parts – the Main Plaza, South Plaza and Presidential Plaza.

The Sangsad Library or Parliament Library claims to be the most comprehensive library in Bangladesh, holding over 85,000 books and many more reports, parliamentary debates, government gazettes, journals, magazines and newspapers. The Library is housed in Sangsad Bhaban in Sher e Bangla Nagar, Dhaka. The Library was established in 1972, after the immediate formation of the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh to support the lawmakers and their staff. The Library is administered by the Parliamentary Librarian, a statutory officer responsible for the control and management of the facility, reporting to the Deputy Speaker and the Library Committee. Although the Library is open to the public, only current and former members of Parliament, secretariat staff, and authorised researchers may check out books and materials.

The Sangsad Bangladesh Television (publicly known as Sangsad TV) is a digital television channel in Bangladesh. It broadcasts parliamentary activity following its establishment under a Broadcasting Act 2011. Prior to the establishment of the Sangsad TV, the Sangsad's programming was produced by the Ministry of Information and relayed in its Bangladesh Television.