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The political landscape in Bangladesh has been witnessing some significant moments in the country ahead of the national parliamentary polls in February 2026 and with the current shifts in the country's political trajectory, the student-led National Citizen Party (NCP), formed in the aftermath of the 'July Uprising', is currently moving towards creating an electoral alliance with the radical Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, Prothom Alo reported.
According to Abdul Qader, one of the leaders of the July Uprising, which led to the ousting of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year and a former coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, the NCP is currently in talks with the Jamaat-e-Islami to ally ahead of the parliamentary polls, Prothom Alo reported. In a Facebook post on Thursday, Qader claims that the two parties are discussing a seat-sharing arrangement and that, if talks proceed as planned, an official announcement could be made on Friday. Qader also criticised the move, stating that the NCP had decided to align with Jamaat-e-Islami at the cost of the aspirations of its supporters and activists, alleging that the decision was driven by the interests of a small group of leaders and warned that the party risked losing its independent political identity. "The grave of youth politics is about to be dug. NCP has finally decided to form an alliance with Jamaat. Ignoring the hopes and aspirations of people and party leaders and activists across the country, they have taken such a self-destructive decision solely to serve the interests of a handful of leaders. If everything goes as planned, the announcement of this alliance may come tomorrow, Friday. Through this, NCP will effectively be absorbed into the womb of Jamaat," Qader said in his post on Facebook. He further claimed that the NCP initially demanded 50 seats from the Jamaat in negotiations, which was later reduced to 30. However, several senior NCP leaders have not made an official response to the claims, Prothom Alo reported. Jamaat-e-Islami also did not issue any statement on the matter. Although Abdul Qader is not formally associated with the NCP, many of his fellow leaders from the July uprising later went on to form the party. Like him, NCP convener Nahid Islam and other senior figures previously served as coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. During the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) election held in September last year, Abdul Qader contested for the vice-president's post from an NCP-backed panel. Qader is known to be a close supporter of Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan, another former coordinator of the student movement, Prothom Alo reported. Following the uprising, Asif Mahmud joined the interim government of Bangladesh but later resigned from his advisory position. He is now contesting the upcoming parliamentary election as an independent candidate from the Dhaka-10 constituency and is not aligned with the NCP. On the same day as Abdul Qader's post, NCP Joint Member Secretary Mir Arshadul Haque announced his resignation from the party, alleging that the NCP was deviating from its original principles, Prothom Alo reported. Abdul Qader claimed he learnt of the alleged alliance with Jamaat around the same time. Abdul Qader also alleged that discussions suggested that Nahid Islam, convener of the NCP, could become prime minister if the alliance wins the election, or leader of the opposition if it loses. The Election Commission has scheduled the 13th parliamentary election and a referendum for February 12 next year. The NCP is contesting the polls with the Shapla Kali (water lily bud) as its election symbol and has announced candidates in more than 100 constituencies. While it has already formed the 'Gonotantrik Sangskar Jote' with the AB Party and the Rastro Songskar Andolon, reports suggest the party is continuing talks with other political groups. (ANI)
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