NCP to announce seats in Jamaat alliance ‘soon’

The National Citizen Party (NCP) will announce within a day or two how many constituencies its candidates will contest in as part of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance for the parliamentary election, according to Convenor Nahid Islam.

Although the final distribution of seats among partners in the 11-party alliance has yet to be settled, Nahid said the bloc is “prepared” for the election.

After meeting a delegation of European Union election observers at the InterContinental Dhaka on Saturday, he said the announcement would clarify the NCP’s position within the alliance.

According to him, no party or alliance has yet been able to launch full-scale competitive campaigning, and the BNP is still holding talks with rebel candidates and has not entered the race in full force.

By contrast, he said the Jamaat–NCP alliance is already ahead in terms of preparation.

 “We have already started campaigning for a referendum. We are speaking in its favour in neighbourhoods, in the field, in mosques -- everywhere,” he said.

He said discussions on seat-sharing are ongoing and that what remains is largely a formal public announcement, as internal preparations are already under way.

The former interim government advisor termed Jamaat a “disciplined” organisation and said the NCP has already reached internal decisions on who will run and where.

 “Once that decision is finalised, we will not face further challenges,” he added.

Contrastingly, Nahid suggested that other political groupings are “struggling with internal disorder” and have failed to provide clarity to their partners”.

He maintained that despite the “minor delay” in the formal announcement, the alliance's electoral readiness remains unaffected and robust.

The convenor alleged that a political party is receiving “special facilities and protocol” from the interim government, warning that this could undermine a level playing field in the election.

Nahid accused sections of the media of showing “bias”, claiming that the NCP has been targeted with negative and false reports, particularly by a few outlets.

He said the party has already raised its objections with the Election Commission and will continue to do so.

 “We will see how far the Election Commission is able to take action,” he said.

Nahid also alleged inconsistencies in decisions over the nomination of loan defaulters, saying some had been cleared while others were rejected, and called on the commission to take legal action over breaches of the election code of conduct, including the use of posters in campaigns.