After days of dramatic developments, a section of Islami Andolan Bangladesh has decided, based on political cost-benefit calculations, to remain in a seat-sharing arrangement with Jamaat-e-Islami and its allies, according to multiple party sources. Although leaders have not spoken publicly about the issue, it has been discussed in internal meetings.
Party leaders, however, are avoiding direct confirmation. Instead, they say they remain committed to a policy of ensuring that votes for Islamist parties are placed “in a single box”, and that Islami Andolan has not yet walked away from the negotiations.
On Wednesday, Jamaat and its allies were forced to postpone a planned press conference that was meant to announce the final seat distribution among 11 parties for the 13th parliamentary election. The announcement was cancelled just hours before it was scheduled to take place.
The press conference had been called for 4:30pm at the Diploma Engineers Institute auditorium by Jamaat’s assistant secretary general, AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad. However, following a series of last-minute developments throughout the day, the event was postponed.
A senior Jamaat leader told TIMES of Bangladesh that the postponement came after Islami Andolan requested more time to reconsider the arrangement. Jamaat and other alliance leaders agreed.
But Islami Andolan’s senior joint secretary general and spokesperson, Gazi Ataur Rahman, rejected this claim. Speaking at a press conference at the party’s central office on Wednesday afternoon, he said no such request had been made.
He accused some quarters of spreading confusion about internal divisions within Islami Andolan over the Jamaat deal. “Discussions on seat-sharing are still ongoing,” he said.
Multiple party sources said Islami Andolan held a late-night meeting on Tuesday involving senior leaders, district-level presidents and secretaries, and key candidates to decide its position on the alliance.
At the meeting, held at the party’s Purana Paltan office, several leaders and candidates argued that contesting the election alone would leave them with little chance of winning even a single seat. They believed that remaining in the alliance would give many of them a better shot.
On Wednesday afternoon, the party’s central executive committee, the Majlis-e-Amela, held an emergency meeting. Sources said the discussion focused less on the number of seats being offered and more on what they described as Jamaat’s lack of seriousness towards Islami Andolan.
Party Ameer Syed Rezaul Karim’s brother and senior nayeb-e-ameer, Syed Faizul Karim, was particularly vocal on this issue, sources said.
After the meeting, a senior Islami Andolan leader phoned a top Jamaat leader, urging him to reconsider the arrangement more carefully. When he asked for more time, the press conference was postponed.
Jamaat’s assistant secretary general and head of its media wing, Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair, told TIMES that the joint press conference had been arranged to announce the seat-sharing deal.
“But it was postponed because minor disagreements remained with some parties over a few seats,” he said. “Once everything is finalised, we will announce it through a press conference very soon.”
How the tensions emerged
Jamaat, Islami Andolan, and six other Islamist-leaning parties had been negotiating seat-sharing even before the election schedule was announced. These included Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Nezame Islam Party, Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (Jagpa), and Bangladesh Development Party.
On 28 December, three more parties joined the alliance: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led by Oli Ahmed, National Citizen Party (NCP) formed by July uprising activists, and Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party).
The late entry of these three parties, particularly NCP, raised fears among earlier members that they might lose out on their desired number of seats. This is when tensions between Jamaat and Islami Andolan began to grow.
In a series of meetings over recent days, nine of the 11 parties reportedly accepted the proposed seat-sharing formula. But disputes remain with Islami Andolan, and there is also some dissatisfaction within Mamunul Haque’s Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis.
Jamaat has reportedly agreed to offer Islami Andolan 45 seats, while Islami Andolan is still demanding 60.
Decision expected soon
Top leaders of the alliance met again on Wednesday night, and sources described the talks as “positive”. The meeting was going on as of filing this report at 9:00pm.
Rashed Pradhan, vice-president and spokesperson of the Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (Jagpa), told TIMES that a final decision could come on Thursday or Friday.
“Leaders of Islami Andolan are also present in tonight’s meeting,” he said late Wednesday. “We are hopeful of a positive outcome.”
However, uncertainty remains over whether all 11 parties will stay in the alliance.
A senior alliance leader said Jamaat’s high command wants to resolve the matter by Thursday, even if Islami Andolan ultimately chooses not to stay.
Who may get how many seats
According to multiple alliance sources, the provisional seat distribution among the 11 parties allocates 190 seats to Jamaat-e-Islami, 45 to Islami Andolan Bangladesh, and 29 toNCP. Mamunul Haque’s faction of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis is set to receive 14 seats, while the Ahmed Abdul Kader-led Khelafat Majlis and LDP are each expected to get five seats. AB Party has been offered three seats. Meanwhile, the Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (Jagpa), Bangladesh Development Party, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan, and Nezame Islam Party are each likely to receive one seat.
This brings the total to 295 seats. The remaining five seats are reportedly being reserved for non-Muslim candidates, candidates from special communities, and decorated freedom fighters who are not affiliated with any specific party.
Sources said the final numbers could still change slightly, with some parties gaining or losing one or two seats.
