Islami Andolan Bangladesh has called for a separate press conference to clarify its stance on the 13th National Parliamentary Election, following growing uncertainty and visible cracks within the newly formed 11-party alliance.
The briefing is scheduled to take place at the party’s central office in Purana Paltan on Friday, January 16, at 3:00 PM.
The move comes after the party skipped a joint press conference held by the alliance on Thursday night at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB). In that meeting, which Islami Andolan boycotted, the alliance announced a preliminary seat-sharing list that significantly favored Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.
The Seat-Sharing Dispute
According to the list released by the alliance on Thursday:
- Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami: 179 seats
- National Citizen Party (NCP): 30 seats
- Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis: 20 seats
- Khelafat Majlis: 10 seats
- Liberal Democratic Party (LDP): 7 seats
- Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party): 3 seats
- Nezame Islam Party: 2 seats
- Bangladesh Development Party (BDP): 2 seats
Seats for the Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan and Jatiya Ganotantrik Party (JAGPA) are yet to be finalized. Notably, Islami Andolan Bangladesh was entirely absent from the seat allocation announcement, signaling a deep-seated disagreement over the number of constituencies allotted to them.
Internal Tensions Surface
The alliance had originally planned to hold the briefing on Wednesday, but it was postponed due to Islami Andolan’s refusal to participate. Despite a marathon closed-door meeting at the Jamaat-e-Islami office on Thursday morning, the deadlock remained unresolved.
Following the alliance meeting, JAGPA Vice-President Rashed Prodhan spoke to the media with caution, stating, “I will neither say Islami Andolan is in the compromise, nor will I say they are out.”
Meanwhile, Maulana Mamunul Haque, Amir of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, expressed hope for unity. “Our expectation is that we can move forward together,” he said, despite the obvious absence of one of the alliance’s largest stakeholders.
What to Expect
In a message sent to the media at 8:20 PM on Thursday, Islami Andolan stated that they would “clear their position” regarding the electoral compromise during Friday’s session. Political analysts suggest that if a consensus is not reached by tomorrow, the 11-party alliance could face a major split just weeks before the national polls.
