Discussions are underway between Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizens Party (NCP) regarding seat-sharing for the upcoming 13th national parliamentary election. Multiple sources said talks are progressing, though no final agreement has been reached yet. Whether the two sides will reach an understanding is expected to become clear within the next one or two days.
Earlier, the NCP had held discussions with the BNP over seat-sharing, but no agreement was reached. Following that, talks with Jamaat began and are continuing. According to party sources, the NCP has requested concessions in at least 50 constituencies, a demand Jamaat considers too high. Further discussions between senior leaders of both parties are expected soon. At the same time, sections of the NCP leadership remain interested in resuming talks with the BNP after the return of BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, though no response has been received from the BNP so far.
The talks with Jamaat have triggered dissent within the NCP. On Thursday, Mir Arshadul Haque, joint member secretary and chief coordinator of the party’s Chattogram metropolitan unit and known as a leader of the anti-Jamaat faction, resigned from the party. Meanwhile, Abdul Quader, a former coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, claimed in a Facebook post that negotiations resulted in an agreement to allocate 30 seats to the NCP, barring it from contesting the remaining constituencies. He said an announcement could come soon.
The developments have also caused tension within the Democratic Reform Alliance, formed on December 7 by the NCP, Amar Bangladesh Party, and Bangladesh Rashtra Sangskar Andolan. The alliance was initially formed with the aim of emerging as a third political force outside the BNP and Jamaat. Didar Bhuiyan, joint general secretary of Bangladesh Rashtra Sangskar Andolan, said discussions with BNP and Jamaat violate that understanding and announced that the party will issue a formal statement soon. Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad confirmed that discussions with the NCP are ongoing.
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