This study is an attempt to inquire and examine the parliamentary by-election of Rajshahi-5 constituency held in April 22. 2000. Apart from the popularity test of the existing ruling party Bangladesh Awami League (AL), the study also tries to find out the reason(s), why there were two competitors from the same ruling AL contested in the above mentioned by-election, in which the ruling party AL nominated one and the other contested as an independent candidate? It will also examine why a call by the combined opposition parties (led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP) to boycott the Rajshahi-5 constituency's by-election was not abode by their local level supporters? The defeat of the AL official candidate to an independent candidate (also a veteran leader of the local AL) revealed that the local level leadership of the ruling party refused to go by the decision of the Central leadership. The study will further try to examine whether there existed any communication gap between the local and central leaderships. One may argue whether the political parties in general and the major parties in particular including the AL do allow their respective leaderships (central and local) to take part in the decision making process of the organisation and that whether the democratic principle of equality and equal rights are enjoyed by the them? Since the cardinal principles of democracy are systematically denied in the political process of the parties, it makes a difficult task to institutionalise democracy in Bangladesh. These and other related issues will be analysed in this article.