NCP launches July March

The National Citizen Party (NCP) has excluded Gopalganj from its month-long “July Awakening to Build the Nation” march programme, launched to mark the second anniversary of the July Uprising, party leaders announced Saturday.

The decision was unveiled at a press briefing in Dhaka, where the NCP laid out the roadmap for its nationwide July campaign covering dozens of districts across the country.

Gopalganj was the site of violent clashes during an NCP march and street rally on July 16, 2025, in which four people were killed and more than 100 others were injured. The party did not elaborate on the reasoning behind the district’s exclusion at Saturday’s briefing.

NCP Chief Organiser (North) Sarjis Alam said the party had already announced election candidates for its first 100 upazilas and municipalities, and that the July marches would be concentrated in those areas.

He said the month-long programme was designed to engage people across all walks of life, uphold the aspirations of the July uprising, introduce its significance to younger generations, honour those killed during the movement, and reinforce the party’s commitment to nation-building.

Under the roadmap, the campaign has been divided into two regional tracks. The northern region programme will be led by Sarjis Alam and Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, covering parts of Dhaka along with Gazipur, Tangail, Sirajganj, Pabna, Natore, Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, Bogura, Joypurhat, Gaibandha, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Sherpur, Jamalpur, Netrokona, Mymensingh, Kishoreganj, Habiganj, Moulvibazar and Sylhet.

The southern region programme will be led by Chief Organiser (South) Hasnat Abdullah and party spokesperson Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, covering Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, Khagrachhari, Chattogram, Noakhali, Feni, Chandpur, Cumilla, Brahmanbaria, parts of Dhaka, Munshiganj, Faridpur, Madaripur, Bhola, Barishal, Barguna, Patuakhali, Jhalakathi, Pirojpur, Bagerhat, Khulna, Jashore, Satkhira, Narail, Magura, Jhenaidah, Chuadanga, Meherpur, Kushtia and Manikganj.

Notably, Gopalganj — traditionally seen as a stronghold of the now-banned Awami League and the hometown of Sheikh Hasina’s family — does not appear on either regional route, despite the district falling within the broader Dhaka division corridor covered by the northern campaign.

The July Awakening programme forms part of a wider set of commemorative events this month marking the second anniversary of the 2024 uprising, which culminated in the fall of the Hasina government on August 5.

Other events held over the weekend included the July National Conference-2026 in Dhaka, where government officials and BNP leaders paid tribute to those killed and injured during the movement and outlined ongoing efforts to prosecute individuals and organisations implicated in the crackdown.

The NCP, formed by student and youth leaders who played a prominent role in the 2024 uprising, has positioned itself as a new political force ahead of the upcoming election cycle, with Saturday’s roadmap doubling as an early campaign push in the 100 constituencies where it has already named candidates.