As the 13th national parliamentary election approaches, a crisis over seat-sharing continues within the Jamaat-e-Islami alliance even at the final stage, creating uncertainty over whether the alliance will ultimately comprise 10 or 11 parties.
The deadlock centres on Islami Andolan Bangladesh, led by Charmonai Pir Syed Mohammad Rezaul Karim, which has taken a rigid stance after failing to secure its desired number of seats.
Despite repeated meetings among the alliance partners on Tuesday night, no breakthrough was achieved. On Wednesday morning, several senior alliance leaders again held talks with Charmonai Pir and Islami Andolan Bangladesh Ameer Syed Rezaul Karim.
Meanwhile, a press conference has been called on behalf of the 11-party alliance for Wednesday afternoon. In a press release issued at 11:30am, Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad said the press conference will be held at 4:30pm at the Diploma Engineers Institution auditorium, from where the alliance’s candidacy may be announced.
Sources said both Jamaat and Islami Andolan are making last-ditch efforts to reach a compromise by noon. Multiple sources from the two parties said Jamaat has agreed to offer 45 seats to Islami Andolan, while Islami Andolan’s latest demand stands at 60 seats.
Seat-sharing with other alliance partners, including Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Nezame-e-Islam Party, Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (JAGPA) and Bangladesh Development Party, has largely been settled. Although there is some dissatisfaction within Mamunul Haque-led Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, it has not reached crisis level.
Seat-sharing has also been finalised with the Liberal Democratic Party led by Oli Ahmed, the National Citizen Party (NCP) formed by July movement activists, and Amar Bangladesh Party, all of which joined the alliance at a later stage.
Jamaat Assistant Secretary General and media wing head Ehsanul Mahbub Zubayer told TIMES of Bangladesh that a joint press conference would be held on Wednesday to announce the final seat-sharing decision. He said alliance leaders would meet beforehand, adding that it was not yet possible to say which party would receive how many seats.
An eight-party platform was formed several months ago to contest the upcoming election through a seat-sharing arrangement. Complications arose after three more parties joined later, particularly due to tensions between Jamaat and Islami Andolan. Despite several rounds of talks in recent days, Islami Andolan’s dissatisfaction remains acute.
Sources at the alliance said the 11‑party seat‑sharing arrangement is close to completion, with tentative allocations already in place. Jamaat 190 seats, Islami Andolan 45 seats, NCP 28 seats, Mamunul Haque-led Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis 15 seats, Ahmed Abdul Kader-led Khelafat Majlis 5 seats, JAGPA 1 seat, Bangladesh Development Party 2 seats, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan 1 seat, Nezame-e-Islam Party 1 seat, LDP 5 seats and Amar Bangladesh Party 3 seats.
Under this arrangement, agreement has been reached on 295 seats. The remaining five seats have been kept for non-Muslims, candidates from special communities and decorated freedom fighters who are not affiliated with any party. However, the number of seats for some parties may still change slightly.
Sources said Jamaat and seven other parties jointly carried out a movement for nearly three months on five demands, including implementation of the July Charter, and are now campaigning strongly for a “Yes” vote in the referendum on the charter. Ensuring that votes of Islamic parties go into a single box has been a long-standing objective of the alliance.
Among the eight original parties, Jamaat and Islami Andolan are seen as having the greatest ability to influence the electoral field, and their seat-sharing arrangement could affect the outcome of the election.
Sources said the inclusion of the NCP at the final stage is aimed at mobilising youth strength, particularly frontline activists of the July movement, to play a strong role in campaigning for a “Yes” vote in the referendum.
Bringing Oli Ahmed’s LDP into the alliance is also seen as an effort to give greater importance to the issue of freedom fighters.
As the parties failed to reach a seat-sharing agreement by the nomination submission deadline on 29 December, candidates from the alliance parties submitted nominations separately.
The final date for withdrawal of candidature is 20 January. If a seat-sharing deal is reached by then, only one candidate per seat will remain, with others withdrawing.
