Despite a seat-sharing deal with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance, the newly floated National Citizen Party (NCP) is facing mounting difficulties in electoral race just days ahead of the 12 February parliamentary election.
The absence of the Jamaat ameer and other senior leaders from NCP campaign events, lack of cooperation from Jamaat’s grassroots activists and financial constraints have fuelled growing dissatisfaction within the 11-party alliance.
In several key constituencies, rebel candidates and what NCP leaders describe as Jamaat’s double-dealing have made campaigning increasingly difficult for NCP nominees.
Senior NCP leaders said coordination has broken down in many seats. The lack of support has been most evident in Narsingdi-2, Chattogram-8, Rajbari-2 and Netrokona-2 where alliance partners—particularly Jamaat—have offered little assistance. While limited cooperation has been reported in a handful of areas, allegations of non-cooperation dominate most constituencies.
The situation in Chattogram is described as particularly acute. According to NCP sources, Jamaat is not cooperating at all in Chattogram-8 and is instead behaving in a near-rebellious manner.
In Chattogram-8, the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance-backed candidate is NCP’s Md Zubairul Hasan Arif, who continues campaigning on the ground. However, posters and billboards of Jamaat’s Md Abu Naser have appeared across the constituency. A section of Jamaat activists is reportedly acting like rebels rather than cooperating, deepening frustration within NCP.
In Narsingdi-2, internal rifts within the alliance have also surfaced publicly. NCP nominated Sarwar Tushar as the alliance candidate, but Jamaat’s nominee did not withdraw, leaving the scale symbol on the ballot paper.
Although alliance leaders instructed activists to campaign for Tushar, some Jamaat leaders and workers have ignored the directive.
NCP senior joint convener Sarwar Tushar alleged that some leaders and activists are secretly campaigning for the Jamaat candidate. In a Facebook post, he wrote: “People vote by secret ballot, but campaigning is public. No responsible organisation can campaign secretly.”
Responsible NCP sources said that in Rajbari-2, nearly one-third of Jamaat and Islami Chhatra Shibir activists are not cooperating, putting the NCP candidate under pressure. Similar allegations of a lack of sincerity have been raised over Jamaat’s role in Netrokona-2.
“Campaigning requires teamwork and that is where weaknesses are visible,” NCP Central Election Management Committee Media Secretary Yasir Arafat told TIMES of Bangladesh.
Campaign financing has emerged as another major concern. NCP candidates allege they are receiving no financial support from alliance partners.
In Chattogram-8 and several other seats, the party leaders claim funds collected from Jamaat sympathisers are being diverted to neighbouring constituencies contested under the scale symbol, instead of spending on NCP seats. As a result, NCP candidates are struggling to meet campaign costs compared with rivals.
The alliance has also failed to deliver expected financial assistance, creating serious gaps in campaign outreach, NCP leaders said. They argue the problem goes beyond individual candidates and reflects broader financial strain within the alliance.
Recently, online reports claimed alliance candidates would receive Tk15 million each from Jamaat. NCP leaders said the rumour backfired, leaving the party worse off.
Md Arifur Rahman Tuhin, joint chief coordinator of the party, said: “A rumour spread online that Tk15 million would be given to each candidate, but in reality, not a single taka was received. The entire matter was fabricated.”
Fresh discontent has also emerged over Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman’s election tours. NCP leaders allege his rallies send strong signals to voters where he appears, but that he has avoided most constituencies allocated to NCP.
According to NCP, Jamaat provides support at events attended by its senior leaders, but constituencies represented by less well-known figures or those lacking media visibility receive little cooperation. Jamaat, they claim, is focusing on seats it considers winnable while neglecting others.
NCP leaders said Nahid or Nasiruddin Patwari from their party have campaigned for Jamaat candidates, but the reverse has not occurred. Jamaat’s senior leaders have largely stayed away from NCP constituencies.
They cited a Dhaka-6 rally where Jamaat ameer publicly welcomed Dhaka-8 NCP candidate Nasiruddin Patwari, before addressing a rally in Dhaka-2 in support of a Jamaat candidate. He also campaigned extensively for NCP’s Sarjis Alam in Panchagarh-1, the only seat fully allocated to NCP. Beyond that, other constituencies have been ignored, alleged NCP leaders.
A leader of the new party, speaking on condition of anonymity, said coordination exists in name but falls far short of what is expected in a coalition election.
“Nahid campaigned in Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Taher’s constituency and there was campaigning in Hamidur Rahman Azad’s seat too. But in most of our constituencies, no one came,” he said.
Although Jamaat announced it would leave 30 seats for NCP, its candidates in Narsingdi-2 and Chattogram-8 ultimately did not withdraw. While Jamaat’s central leadership wrote to the Election Commission, the scale symbol remains on the ballot in both seats.
Of the 30 seats allocated to NCP, 12 have rebel candidates from one or another alliance partner. In six seats contested by candidates of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, led by Mamunul Haque, Jamaat has been unable to take a clear position, leaving NCP on the back foot.
Local sources in several Jamaat-allocated NCP seats said NCP candidates are significantly less popular than Jamaat’s own leaders. Many candidates and supporters have struggled to accept the nominations, arguing that Jamaat nominees would have mounted stronger contests against BNP-backed candidates, fuelling local resentment.
However, NCP Media Sub-Committee Chief Mahabub Alam struck an optimistic note, saying most seats remain manageable.
“There are problems in one or two seats, but we hope they will be resolved soon. Earlier, there were issues in six seats, many of which have eased. Discussions are ongoing, and the situation is better than before,” he said. “At present, Chattogram-8 and Narsingdi-2 remain the most problematic. Talks are underway, and the issues have been conveyed to the Election Commission. We expect a resolution soon.”
Responding to the allegations, Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair told TIMES of Bangladesh that formal election activities began on the 1st and organisational structures are being rebuilt from constituency to polling-centre level.
“We do not have sufficient manpower everywhere, which is a major challenge,” he said. “Where workers are lacking, centre-based committees are being formed from the main committees. Since the scale of work differs among alliance partners, emphasis is being placed on coordination.”
Zubair added that responsibilities would be distributed among leaders at all levels in the coming days and that Jamaat is making efforts to ensure election preparations continue without disruption.
