Parties race to form alliances as polls nears

Abu Jakir :

Political parties are accelerating coalition-building efforts ahead of Bangladesh’s national election, with the National Citizen Party (NCP) on Sunday unveiling a new three-party bloc — the Democratic Reform Alliance — in a sign of intensifying pre-election realignment.

The alliance, comprising the NCP, the Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party), and the State Reform Movement, was announced at an urgent press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) auditorium.

NCP convener Nahid Islam said the coalition was formed to carry forward the public aspirations for change that emerged from the July mass uprising and to prevent a return to what he called “old politics.”

AB Party chairman Mojibur Rahman Monju and State Reform Movement president Hasnat Kaiyum were present at the announcement.

NCP positions alliance as broader political platform
Describing the Democratic Reform Alliance as more than an election arrangement, Nahid Islam said the bloc is grounded in shared goals of national dignity and economic reforms.

“This is not merely an electoral alliance,” he said. “We have come together with a commitment to economic liberation.

The alliance will contest the upcoming parliamentary elections while working for long-term structural change.”

Multiple alliances forming in parallel The NCP’s announcement comes amid a flurry of behind-the-scenes negotiations among several mid-sized and smaller parties over seat-sharing and possible power-sharing arrangements after the election.

Gono Odhikar Parishad leader Nurul Haque Nur confirmed that discussions are underway both on collaborating during the polls and securing representation in any future government.

He said parties that participated in the July uprising are exploring an understanding to ensure that all major groups remain part of the political process after the vote — an idea he noted is similar to the BNP’s earlier proposal for a national government.

Former anti-AL allies now heading into polls separately
Since the fall of the Awami League government in August 2024, political alliances have splintered.

Several parties that jointly mobilized under BNP’s leadership during the anti-AL movement are now preparing to contest the election through separate blocs.

A significant development is the rise of an eight-party Islamist coalition led by Jamaat-e-Islami, which includes Islami Andolon, Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis and others. The bloc has already begun holding divisional rallies as it works out seat-sharing arrangements.

Leaders of the alliance say the aim is to unite religiously aligned parties under a single electoral strategy, ensuring only one candidate from the coalition contests each seat.

BNP says alliance landscape will be clearer after schedule
BNP leaders say the full picture of coalition politics will emerge once the Election Commission announces the poll schedule.

Standing committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku said the BNP has reserved a number of constituencies for allies from the joint anti-AL movement, but noted that electoral rules require all parties to contest under their own symbols — a factor complicating cooperation.

Tuku also suggested that ideological divisions are becoming sharper as new blocs take shape, adding that BNP will negotiate with what he called “patriotic alliances,” distancing the party from groups he labelled “anti-country.”

Alliance politics enters decisive phase
With the election timetable expected within days, the launch of the Democratic Reform Alliance underscores the pace at which parties are repositioning themselves in a shifting political landscape.

Whether the NCP-led bloc expands further — and how it situates itself alongside BNP-oriented alliances and the growing Islamist coalition — is expected to be a defining factor in the weeks leading to the polls.