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The ruling Awami League is once again expected to collaborate with its partners in the 14-Party Alliance for the upcoming national polls, although the decision on the allocation of seats has yet to be finalised, reports bdnews24.com.
After a meeting between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 14-Party Alliance leaders on Monday, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader was scheduled to hold a press conference at 12:00pm on Tuesday.
However, Quader said that more time was needed to decide on the distribution of seats among the alliance members.
"We need to reach an agreement with the 14 parties. In this regard, Amir Hossain Amu will negotiate on the Awami League's behalf. The matter will be resolved within the next few days."
Since 2008, the 14 parties and Awami League have formed alliances for elections. The Jatiya Party was also a coalition partner in two of the three national elections.
However, the Jatiya Party was excluded from the coalition in 2014 after the alliance led by the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami boycotted the 10th parliamentary elections. As the BNP plans to boycott the polls again, the Jatiya Party is not part of the current ruling party-led alliance.
This time, the Awami League has announced candidates for 298 of the 300 seats and informed the Election Commission of its plan to contest the elections with its alliance. At the same time, the coalition partners have also nominated candidates separately.
On Monday, Awami League chief Hasina sat down with the party's coalition partners at the Gonobhaban to decide on the seats that will be shared among the alliance.
Workers Party chief Rashed Khan Menon and General Secretary Fazle Hossain Badsha, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal President Hasanul Haque Inu and General Secretary Shirin Akhtar, Jatiya Party-JP President Anwar Hossain Manju, Communist Party General Secretary Dilip Barua, and Tarikat Federation Chairman Najibul Bashar Maizbhandari attended the meeting.
"We will contest the elections as a member of the alliance. And it has been agreed that the seat-sharing issue will be discussed and decided by Amir Hossain Amu and Obaidul Quader," Menon said after the meeting.
Several leaders who attended the meeting indicated that most candidates of the 14-Party Alliance will contest the polls with the 'boat' symbol, while some may choose their party's symbol.