Dhaka, May 4 -- BNP has expelled another 61 leaders for participating in the local government elections, defying the party's decision to boycott the polls.

The party announced the expulsion of the leaders through a notice, signed by Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, on Saturday.

The notice said that the BNP leaders who are contesting for the post of chairman and vice chairman (male and female) in the second phase of upazila parishad elections, to be held on May 21, have been expelled from all the positions including primary membership of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as per the party constitution.

Of the expelled leaders, 26 are vying for the post of upazila chairman, 19 for the vice-chairman post, and 16 for the p...