Staff Reporter :
The Election Commission (EC) will commence its much-anticipated dialogue with political parties on Thursday morning, marking the start of consultations ahead of the 13th parliamentary election, expected to take place in early February 2026.
According to the EC, a total of 12 registered political parties have been invited to attend the opening sessions – six in the morning (10:00am-12:00pm) and another six in the afternoon (2:00pm-4:00pm).
The six parties invited for the morning session are the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Bangladesh Congress, Bangladesh Muslim League, National People’s Party (NPP), Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan, and Jamiyate Ulamaye Islam Bangladesh.
The afternoon session will include representatives from the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (Basod), Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF), and Bangladesh Nationalist Movement (BNM).
In the invitation letters, the Commission said that to effectively carry out the crucial task of the upcoming national election, it requires the opinions, suggestions, and cooperation of all stakeholders – including political parties, academics, intellectuals, civil society members, journalists, election experts, observers, and women leaders.
“In this context, the Election Commission has prepared to hold dialogues with all concerned.
As part of that initiative, the Commission will hold view-exchange sessions with representatives of political parties to gather their well-considered opinions and suggestions, which may also be submitted in writing if necessary,” the letter added.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin will preside over the sessions, with other Election Commissioners also in attendance.
Meanwhile, Gono Odhikar Parishad (GOP) on Wednesday urged the EC not to invite the Jatiya Party or members of the Awami League-led 14-Party Alliance to the electoral dialogue.
“We have requested the Election Commission not to invite the Awami League’s allies, the Jatiya Party, or the 14-party coalition – who legitimised the 2024 election held under Sheikh Hasina and pushed the nation towards destruction – to any dialogue,” GOP General Secretary Md Rashed Khan told reporters after meeting the Chief Election Commissioner at Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka.
He argued that the Jatiya Party and the 14-party alliance should not be invited merely because they hold registration status.
“We asked the Election Commission to engage only with those parties that took part in the discussions with the National Consensus Commission.
Allowing the allies of fascism into this dialogue would be a betrayal of the blood of our students and people,” Rashed added.
The Election Commission aims to complete dialogues with all registered political parties by November 20.
EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told reporters on Tuesday that the discussions will be held in phases with registered political parties, and the list of invitees will be disclosed gradually.
