Staff Reporter :
The Gonotantra Moncho, an alliance of six left-leaning and progressive political parties, has announced the first list of 120 candidates for the upcoming national election, including several of its top leaders such as Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Zonayed Saki, Hasnat Kaiyum, and Saiful Haque.
The announcement was made at a press conference on Thursday afternoon at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, where the Moncho’s coordinator and Rastriyo Songskar Andolon chief convener Hasnat Kaiyum unveiled the names.
He said that the remaining candidates for the 300 constituencies would be announced gradually after ongoing coordination discussions among the alliance partners.
According to the list, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, president of Nagorik Oikya, will contest from Bogura-2; Hasnat Kaiyum from Kishoreganj-5; Saiful Haque, general secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, from Dhaka-8; Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of the Gonosanghoti Andolon, from Brahmanbaria-6; Tania Rob, senior vice-president of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), from Lakshmipur-4; Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapan, JSD general secretary, from Feni-3; and Sheikh Rafiqul Islam Bablu, chairman of the Bhasani Jonoshokti Party, from Jamalpur-5.
Chairing the press conference, Hasnat Kaiyum said that the Moncho had so far received over 400 applications from aspiring candidates, with more expected. A nomination and coordination committee is currently reviewing the applications and resolving overlaps where multiple aspirants have sought nomination in the same constituency. “We are working through dialogue among the member parties to ensure coordinated nominations,” he said.
On the upcoming election, Kaiyum noted that Gonotantra Moncho has already declared its intention to contest independently but remains open to broader alliances or electoral understandings. “We are open to uniting with any force that is genuinely committed to freeing the country from authoritarianism and establishing a state accountable to its citizens,” he said.
The press conference was attended by key alliance leaders, including Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Saiful Haque, Zonayed Saki, Sheikh Rafiqul Islam Bablu, Tania Rob, and Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapan.
Formed on August 8, 2022, the Gonotantra Moncho originally brought together JSD, Nagorik Oikya, Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, Gonosanghoti Andolon, Bhasani Onusari Parishad, and Rastriyo Songskar Andolon, with Gono Odhikar Parishad later joining and subsequently leaving the alliance.
With Thursday’s announcement, the Moncho becomes one of the first alliances from the progressive bloc to publish a comprehensive list of candidates, signaling its intent to mount a coordinated electoral challenge in the upcoming national polls.
