Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami today announced the formation of an expanded electoral alliance with the National Citizen Party (NCP) and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) ahead of the upcoming national parliamentary elections.
Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman made the announcement at an emergency press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka. Rahman noted that NCP leaders could not attend the briefing due to time constraints but had formally conveyed their decision to join the alliance and would address the media separately. Senior leaders of Jamaat, the LDP and other alliance partners were present at the event.
The announcement, however, has intensified debate and dissent within the NCP, a party formed by student and youth leaders of the July uprising with a pledge to break from traditional political compromises. Several senior leaders have openly questioned the alliance, citing ideological differences and Jamaat’s historical opposition to Bangladesh’s independence in 1971.
Senior joint convener Samantha Sharmin warned in a social media post that the NCP would pay a heavy price for aligning with Jamaat, calling it an unreliable ally whose political philosophy clashes with the NCP’s founding goals of justice for the July killings, structural reforms and the establishment of a “Second Republic.”
Tensions within the NCP have also been underscored by the resignation of senior leader Tasnim Jara, who announced she would contest the Dhaka-9 constituency as an independent, and by a letter from 30 members of the party’s central committee opposing any seat-sharing deal with Jamaat. The signatories warned that even reports of such an alliance were alienating supporters and undermining the party’s credibility, particularly among young voters and citizen donors who backed it as an alternative to conventional politics.
As Bangladesh moves closer to the polls, the Jamaat-NCP alliance marks a significant realignment in opposition politics, while also highlighting growing questions over ideology, credibility and unity within newer political formations.
