Two largest political forces of the country — BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami — are facing mounting turmoil over seat allocation as the deadline for submitting nomination papers for the 13th parliamentary election draws to a close.
In the final hours before nominations close on Monday, senior leaders of both parties are grappling with internal dissent, alliance pressures and last-minute candidate reshuffles — exposing deep strains within the two major political entities ahead of a highly consequential vote.
BNP has so far finalised nominations in nearly 290 of the 300 parliamentary constituencies. But the process has triggered dissatisfaction not only among its alliance partners but also within its own ranks.
Nazrul Islam Khan, a member of the BNP’s Standing Committee, acknowledged the difficulties.
“A large party naturally has many aspirants. Even when several candidates are qualified, only one can be nominated, which creates dissatisfaction,” he told TIMES of Bangladesh.
“Additionally, when seats are allocated to alliance partners, party candidates often struggle to accept it. However, we believe these grievances will ease before polling day.”
Despite the challenges, Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad says there is no crisis.
However, senior politicians and political analysts say this is not unusual in power-focused politics, and similar episodes recur ahead of every election. electoral politics.
Initially, BNP faced little resistance when it announced candidates for 237 seats on 3 November. The situation deteriorated after a second phase of nominations on 4 December, when 28 seats were revised. Subsequent rounds of replacements intensified anger among grassroots leaders.
As of Sunday night, BNP still had no candidates in 12 constituencies.
One of the most striking developments came in Chattogram-10, where BNP removed Standing Committee member and influential leader Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury from his initially allocated seat and reassigned him to Chattogram-11.
In his place, the party nominated Saeed Al Noman, son of former BNP vice-chairman Abdullah Al Noman. The decision caused widespread unrest across the Chattogram region, with many leaders openly questioning the move.
In Jashore-6, former Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal president and BNP Executive Committee member Kazi Rawnakul Islam Shraban was replaced by another executive member, Abul Hossain Azad.
Jashore emerged as the most volatile district for BNP, with candidates changed in four of its six constituencies within just four days.
In Jashore-5, BNP dropped Upazila BNP president and former municipal mayor Shahid Mohammad Iqbal Hossain in favour of Jamiat leader Rashid Bin Wakkas. The decision triggered protests, including road blockades, with activists symbolically wearing burial shrouds on their heads.
Local leaders allege that the replaced candidates were comparatively more popular and that the new nominees would struggle electorally.
In Jhenaidah-4, Rashed Khan — who recently left his post as general secretary of Gono Odhikar Parishad to join BNP — secured the party nomination. The seat was previously stipulated for Swechchhasebak Dal central senior joint secretary Saiful Islam Firoz, who has now announced he will contest as an independent.
In Dhaka-12, BNP replaced former Jubo Dal president Saiful Alam Nirab with Saiful Islam, general secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party, further fuelling resentment.
Controversy has also erupted in Bagerhat, where nominees Kapil Krishna Mondol (Bagerhat-1) and Somnath Dey (Bagerhat-4) face allegations of holding posts within the ruling Awami League. Despite the presence of popular BNP candidates in both seats, the party cited “special considerations” in justifying the nominations.
Media reports suggest that BNP rebels are preparing to contest independently in more than 80 constituencies nationwide. Protests demanding candidate changes continue in at least 40 seats, while several leaders have already resigned after being denied nominations.
Conversely, at least three leaders from allied parties have reportedly defected to BNP to secure the party’s electoral symbol.
Jamaat and allies face alliance arithmetic
Jamaat-e-Islami and its like-minded allies are also navigating complex negotiations as they near the final stage of seat-sharing arrangements.
The alliance — originally comprising eight parties — has expanded further in recent days, complicating the distribution process and delaying the announcement of final candidate lists.
At a press conference at the National Press Club on Sunday, Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman announced that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by retired Colonel Oli Ahmad, and National Citizen Party (NCP) had joined the coalition. Two more parties are expected to follow.
The alliance already includes Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Khelafat Majlis, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (Jagpa), Khelafat Andolon, Bangladesh Development Party and Nezam-e-Islam Party.
Although no open rebellion has yet surfaced, insiders acknowledge that Jamaat is under immense pressure to balance competing demands — particularly from Islami Andolan Bangladesh, led by the Chormonai Pir, and Mamunul Haque’s Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, both of which reportedly complained of receiving fewer seats than expected.
Senior leaders spent nights in prolonged negotiations on Friday and Saturday to defuse tensions. The unified appearance of top leaders at Sunday’s press conference suggested that internal dissatisfaction had eased — at least temporarily.
However, the expansion of the Jamaat-led alliance has created turmoil within the NCP, where around 30 leaders have reportedly opposed joining the bloc. Several senior figures have already resigned in protest.
Oli Ahmad’s LDP, once aligned with BNP, shifted to the Jamaat alliance after failing to secure seats from its former partner. Another BNP ally, the Bangladesh Labour Party, has also turned against BNP after being denied constituencies.
With nomination deadlines looming, more defections are likely — both within parties and across alliances — as aspirants scramble for viable platforms.
