Despite a clear consolidation into two major political blocs ahead of the 13th parliamentary election, growing instability has emerged within the alliances themselves.
While the major parties have formally sealed coalition arrangements, several influential figures are defying central decisions by contesting independently, and in some constituencies multiple alliance-backed candidates are facing off against one another, creating fresh uncertainty within the electoral landscape.
Although the large parties have formally announced alliance arrangements, unrest has grown within the coalitions. In several constituencies, influential party figures have chosen to contest the election independently, defying central decisions.
In other seats, multiple candidates from within the same alliance are competing against each other, undermining coordinated electoral strategies.
This situation has placed smaller alliance partners under significant pressure, particularly where nomination papers have not been withdrawn by the deadline. Sources say coalition leaders are continuing efforts to resolve the disputes, but problems persist at both the central and local levels.
Political analysts argue that candidates who ignore party directives pose a serious challenge to officially endorsed alliance nominees, increasing the risk of divided vote banks. Sabbir Ahmed, a professor at the University of Dhaka, told TIMES of Bangladesh that in some constituencies, the personal popularity of rebel candidates could defeat alliance-backed nominees.
“Parties often sideline their own leaders to accommodate coalition partners,” he said. “This creates dissatisfaction among senior figures and has a negative impact on alliance cohesion.”
The crisis appears most acute within BNP. On Wednesday, the party expelled 59 leaders for refusing to withdraw from the race against party instructions. Those expelled include central leaders and former members of parliament. Earlier, several leaders had faced similar disciplinary action, though expulsion orders against two were later withdrawn after they agreed to pull out of the contest.
For the upcoming election, BNP has allocated 16 seats to its alliance partners. Of these, five seats have gone to Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam Bangladesh, three to Ganatantra Mancha, and one each to the Nationalist Like-Minded Alliance and Gono Odhikar Parishad. Registered partners will contest under their own symbols, while unregistered allies will use BNP’s Sheaf of Paddy symbol. In some cases, alliance leaders have formally joined BNP to contest using the party symbol to strengthen their chances of victory.
However, rebel BNP leaders remain influential at the local level, creating further risks for alliance-backed candidates. Nurul Haque Nur, a BNP-supported candidate in Patuakhali-3, said grassroots support was crucial for alliance unity.
“If grassroots leaders and activists do not stand with the party-backed candidate, mistrust will grow among allies,” he said. “Whether we win or lose, BNP has pledged to keep its allies together.”
On the other side, National Citizen Party (NCP) is also facing difficulties. Under alliance agreements, other partners were supposed to withdraw their candidates from 29 of the 30 seats allocated to NCP. In practice, at least six key constituencies remain contested by multiple alliance candidates.
These include Chattogram-8 and Narsingdi-2, where Jamaat-e-Islami candidates are still in the race; Narayanganj-4, Sirajganj-6 and Dhaka-20, where candidates from Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis and AB Party are contesting; and Rajbari-2, where a Khelafat Majlis candidate has also refused to withdraw.
Tensions over seat allocation have continued within the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance even after symbols were formally allotted. Although Jamaat had earlier pledged to leave Narsingdi-2, Sunamganj-1, Moulvibazar-3 and Chattogram-8 to its partners, its candidates ultimately remained in the race.
Voting in Pabna-1 and Pabna-2 has been suspended following court orders. In the remaining 298 constituencies, a total of 13 seats—including several allocated to NCP—currently feature more than one alliance candidate competing against each other.
Under the overall seat distribution, Jamaat-e-Islami is set to contest 215 seats, NCP 30, Bangladesh Khelafat 23, Khelafat Majlis 12, LDP six, and both AB Party and Nezam-e-Islam Party three each, while Bangladesh Development Party will contest two seats. Four seats remain open.
In some constituencies, multiple parties are fielding candidates despite prior agreements. Jamaat’s candidate count stands at 218, though it was initially expected to be 219 before the party withdrew from Barishal-5 in honour of the Charmonai Pir. In practice, however, the party’s Scales symbol has been allocated to 225 candidates. The alliance led by Mamunul Haque, despite being allotted 23 seats, has fielded candidates in 29 constituencies, overlapping with nominees from Khelafat Majlis, NCP and AB Party.
Mahbub Alam, head of NCP’s media subcommittee, said six constituencies were affected by nomination disputes. “Some candidates submitted nominations independently, while others failed to withdraw on time or reversed their decisions,” he said, adding that discussions were ongoing with alliance partners and a resolution was expected soon.
Professor Sabbir Ahmed noted that such problems were not new and could not be fully eliminated. He said conflicts between personal ambition and party interest frequently undermine alliance effectiveness, particularly for smaller parties that rely heavily on the local popularity of larger partners.
“For BNP in particular, this is a serious challenge,” he added. “Many leaders have made long sacrifices for the party. When they are dropped at the last moment, frustration and resentment are natural, and those emotions are difficult to control completely.”
