Mahmudur Rahman Manna, president of Nagorik Oikya and a key leader of the Ganatantra Moncho, is set to join the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance to contest the February parliamentary election.
Sources said intense discussions are underway in both camps, with a public announcement likely within the next day or two.
Manna has so far avoided making any definitive comment, instead maintaining a cautious and strategic stance. Speaking to TIMES of Bangladesh, he said political parties were currently absorbed in negotiations, making it difficult to predict who might align with whom.
“There have not been any significant talks with the party on this issue yet,” he said when asked about joining the Jamaat-led alliance. “Perhaps they (Jamaat) are discussing it internally.” Avoiding a clear “yes” or “no”, he added: “Let’s see.”
Asked whether he felt aggrieved towards BNP after remaining with it for years without securing a seat, the veteran politician dismissed the suggestion. “There is nothing to say. We do politics for the people; they will judge,” he said.
Earlier, speaking at a press conference in Thakurgaon on Thursday, Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Abdul Halim said the existing 10-party alliance was expanding into an 11-party alliance, with a formal announcement expected within the next day or two.
The statement fuelled speculation over which party or leader would be joining the Jamaat-led bloc.
TIMES of Bangladesh has learned that Jamaat leaders have already held several rounds of discussions with Manna on bringing him into the alliance, and that Manna himself is receptive to the move.
Although he was initially given a preliminary nomination for the Bogura-2 constituency, BNP ultimately awarded the “Sheaf of Paddy” symbol to its own candidate Shah Alam, a decision that reportedly left Manna aggrieved.
Citing a lack of recognition for his sacrifices during difficult political periods, Manna later announced that Nagorik Oikya would contest 11 seats independently using the party’s “Kettle” symbol.
Media reports also suggest BNP offered Manna a cabinet position in a future government in lieu of a parliamentary seat, an offer he declined.
A Jamaat source said Manna had submitted nomination papers for both Dhaka-18 and Bogura-2, adding that Jamaat was prepared to concede the Dhaka-18 seat to him. However, the source said Manna wants to contest both constituencies and is seeking a guarantee of victory in at least one.
When contacted, Jamaat leader Abdul Halim declined to comment further, saying he had already addressed the matter at the Thakurgaon press conference.
A member of Nagorik Oikya’s executive committee and a former vice-president of its Dhaka metropolitan unit said there were concerns that failing to secure a parliamentary seat under the Jamaat alliance could further weaken Manna’s political standing. However, the source said both Manna and his party were leaning towards contesting the Dhaka-18 seat as part of the alliance.
If that happens, National Citizen Party leader Ariful Islam Adib, the current candidate of the Jamaat-led 10-party alliance in the constituency, may withdraw in Manna’s favour.
Manna’s political career spans several decades. He was elected general secretary of the Chittagong University Central Students’ Union in 1972 from the Jasad-backed Chhatra League.
He later served as general secretary of the Jasad Chhatra League in 1973 and its central president in 1976. After moving to Dhaka, he was elected vice-president of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union in 1979.
In 1980, he formed the Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal and later the Jatiya Mukti Dal, remaining active in the anti-Ershad movement between 1983 and 1990.
In the 1990s, he joined the Awami League and contested the 1996 and 2001 parliamentary elections but was defeated on both occasions. During the army-backed caretaker government in 2007, he emerged as a prominent “reformist”, and the Awami League did not nominate him in the 2008 election.
Although he was not expelled, Manna later left the Awami League and formed Nagorik Oikya, where he currently serves as president.
In February 2015, he was arrested on charges of conspiracy against the Awami League government and spent around one year and eight months in jail before being released.
He played a key role in forming the Jatiya Oikya Front under the leadership of Dr Kamal Hossain in 2018 and also contested that year’s parliamentary election. Since 2022, he has been involved in the simultaneous movement with BNP against the Awami League government.
