Jamaat keeps door open for Islami Andolan
Staff Reporter :
Even after Islami Andolan Bangladesh announced it would contest the upcoming national elections independently, Jamaat-e-Islami has signalled that the door remains open for the party to return to the 11-party alliance.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday at Jamaat’s central office in Moghbazar, Assistant Secretary General and head of the party’s Media and Publicity Department, Ehsanul Mahbub Zubayer, said the alliance is open to all.
“The doors of Jamaat are open for everyone,” he said when asked whether Islami Andolan could still rejoin the alliance.
The Chormonai Pir-led Islami Andolan had been part of the Jamaat-led 11-party coalition. However, disagreements over seat allocation led the party to hold a press conference on Friday, formally announcing its decision to contest the elections independently.
Earlier, 47 seats had been reserved for Islami Andolan within the alliance framework. When asked what would happen to these seats, Zubayer said a liaison committee has been tasked with reviewing the matter, and decisions will be finalised by the alliance’s top leadership after their recommendation.
Meanwhile, Maulana Mamunul Haque, Amir of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, told reporters after meeting Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher that the 47 seats previously allocated to Islami Andolan will now be distributed among the remaining 10 parties in the alliance.
One of the alliance partners, the National Citizen Party (NCP), which had been allocated 30 seats under the original plan, is hopeful that its share may now increase by around 15 seats following Islami Andolan’s exit.
In a separate development on Saturday, a group of leaders and activists from Islami Andolan Bangladesh officially joined Jamaat-e-Islami. Among them were Gazi Nasir Uddin, president of Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Dasherkandi unit in Dhaka South’s 75th ward, prominent businessmen Kazi Akhtar Hossain and Kazi Khaled Hossain, along with seven other party members.
The formal induction ceremony was held in Dasherkandi, with Kabir Ahmed, Jamaat’s candidate for Dhaka-9 and central co-vice president of the Workers Welfare Federation, attending as the chief guest. Maulana Mahmudur Rahman, Amir of Khilgaon East Thana, presided over the programme. During the event, senior leaders welcomed the newcomers and elaborated on the organisation’s principles, goals, and objectives.
With Islami Andolan now running independently and some of its local leaders joining Jamaat, the alliance is entering a critical phase of seat redistribution ahead of the election. Alliance leaders are expected to finalise nominations after the liaison committee completes its review, ensuring that all remaining parties have representation in the 11-party framework.